Tom Watson Among 81 Players
Tom Watson will join a stellar field shaping up for the Tucson Conquistadores Classic, March 16–22 at Omni Tucson National Resort. Watson has collected 39 wins on the PGA TOUR and 14 wins on the PGA TOUR’s Champions Tour over the course of his professional career.
Joe Brossart, tournament chairman for the Tucson Conquistadores Classic, reported Watson will join Bernard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Jay Haas, Kirk Triplett, Jeff Sluman, Fred Funk, Tom Lehman, John Cook, Duffy Waldorf, Corey Pavin, Brad Faxon, Craig Stadler, Hal Sutton, Lee Janzen, Jesper Parnevik, Larry Mize and Tucson’s own U.S. Senior Open Champion, Don Pooley. “Our Pro-Am players, local golf fans and winter visitors are in for a great experience,” said Brossart. “We’re excited to begin a new chapter in Tucson’s 70-year golf history.”
A Two-Time Winner in Tucson
Watson competed 13 times in Tucson, from 1968 through 1981, winning twice. He posted a wire-to-wire win at the 1978 Tucson Open at Omni Tucson National as the current number-one player on the PGA TOUR.
Watson also won the first (1984) of three PGA TOUR match play events staged for three years at the city-owned Randolph North golf course. The win was especially meaningful to the late Conquistador Bob Felix. “I played golf with Watson at the Kansas City Country Club when he was just a 13-year-old boy,” Felix recalled. According to Felix, after collecting her husband’s $40,000 prize, “Watson’s wife walked in the trailer and presented me with a $1,000 check made out to the Tucson Conquistadores Charities.”
If You Go
Visit www.conquistadoreclassic.com to purchase tickets, which start at $20 per person. There are 81 players in this competition, and the website features a bio on each player. If you have never been a part of the gallery (the group watching the players), the Emily Post Institute gives the following advice:
- Don’t ask for autographs
- Don’t try to speak to players
- Don’t offer advice to the players
- Don’t touch a player’s ball, ever
- Stand still when the players are hitting shots
It is also advised to cheer only, make no negative comments, and to dress appropriately (which means wear golf attire).
The Tucson Conquistadores is the charitable organization that runs the tournament and donates net proceeds to youth athletic programs in Southern Arizona. Since its inception in 1962, the Conquistadores have contributed $29 million.