Career Highlights

Amateur Victories

  • Kansas City Match Play Championship   1964 and 1967
  • Missouri State Amateur Champion    1967, 1968, 1970 and 1971

PGA TOUR Victories (39 total victories)

  • 1974  Western Open
  • 1975  Byron Nelson Golf Classic, British Open Championship
  • 1977  Bing Crosby National Pro-Am, Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational, Masters Tournament, Western Open, British Open Championship
  • 1978  Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open, Bing Crosby National Pro-Am, Byron Nelson Golf Classic, Colgate Hall of Fame Classic, Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic
  • 1979  Sea Pines Heritage Classic, MONY Tournament of Champions, Byron Nelson Golf Classic, Memorial Tournament, Colgate Hall of Fame Classic
  • 1980  Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational, Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open, MONY Tournament of Champions, Greater New Orleans Open, Byron Nelson Golf Classic, British Open Championship, World Series of Golf
  • 1981  Masters Tournament, USF&G New Orleans Open, Atlanta Classic
  • 1982  Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open, Sea Pines Heritage, U.S. Open Championship, British Open Championship
  • 1983  British Open Championship
  • 1984  Seiko-Tucson Match Play Championship, MONY Tournament of Champions, Western Open
  • 1987  Nabisco Championship
  • 1996  Memorial Tournament
  • 1998  MasterCard Colonial

Champions Tour Victories (14 total victories)

  • 1999  Bank One Championship
  • 2000  IR SENIOR TOUR Championship
  • 2001  Senior PGA Championship
  • 2002  SENIOR TOUR Championship at Gaillardia
  • 2003  Senior British Open, JELD-WEN Tradition
  • 2005  Senior British Open Championship, Charles Schwab Cup Championship
  • 2007  Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, The Senior Open Championship
  • 2008  Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf
  • 2010 Mitsubishi Electric Championship, Hualalai, Hawaii
  • 2011 Senior PGA Championship at Valhalla

Other International Victories (4 total victories)

  • 1980 Dunlop Phoenix
  • 1984 Australian Open
  • 1992 Hong Kong Open
  • 1997 Dunlop Phoenix

Other Victories (10 total victories)

  • 1994 Skins Game
  • 1999 Wendy’s Three-Tour Challenge [with Jack Nicklaus and Hale Irwin]
  • 1999 Diner’s Club Matches [with Jack Nicklaus]
  • 2000 Hyundai Team Matches [with Jack Nicklaus]
  • 2004 Wendy’s Champions Skins Game
  • 2005 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf [Raphael Division with Andy North]
  • 2006 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf [Raphael Division with Andy North]
  • 2007 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf [Raphael Division with Andy North]
  • 2010 Wendy’s Champions Skins Game
  • 2011 Wendy’s Champions Skins Game
Major Championship Record Wins (8)

Year  

Championship  

54 Holes  

Winning Score  

Margin  

Runner(s)-up  
1975 The Open Championship 3 shot deficit -9 (71-67-69-72=279) Playoff 1  Jack Newton
1977 The Masters Tied for lead -12 (70-69-70-67=276) 2 strokes  Jack Nicklaus
1977 The Open Championship (2) Tied for lead -12 (68-70-65-65=268) 1 stroke  Jack Nicklaus
1980 The Open Championship (3) 4 shot lead -13 (68-70-64-69=271) 4 strokes  Lee Trevino
1981 The Masters (2) 1 shot lead -8 (71-68-70-71=280) 2 strokes  Johnny Miller,  Jack Nicklaus
1982 U.S. Open Tied for lead -6 (72-72-68-70=282) 2 strokes  Jack Nicklaus
1982 The Open Championship (4) 3 shot deficit -4 (69-71-74-70=284) 1 stroke  Peter Oosterhuis,  Nick Price
1983 The Open Championship (5) 1 shot lead -9 (67-68-70-70=275) 1 stroke  Andy Bean,  Hale Irwin

1 Defeated Jack Newton in 18-hole playoff – Watson (71), Newton (72)

 

Results Timeline
Tournament

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979
The Masters

CUT

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

T8

T33

1

T2

T2
U.S. Open

DNP

DNP

T29

CUT

T5

T9

7

T7

T6

CUT
The Open Championship

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

1

CUT

1

T14

T26
PGA Championship

DNP

DNP

DNP

T12

T11

9

T15

T6

2

T12

 

Tournament

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989
The Masters

T12

1

T5

T4

2

T10

T6

T7

T9

T14
U.S. Open

T3

T23

1

2

T11

CUT

T24

2

T36

T46
The Open Championship

1

T23

1

1

T2

T47

T35

7

T28

4
PGA Championship

T10

CUT

T9

T47

T39

T6

T16

T14

T31

T9

 

Tournament

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999
The Masters

T7

T3

T48

T45

13

T14

CUT

4

CUT

CUT
U.S. Open

CUT

T16

CUT

T5

T6

T56

T13

64

CUT

T57
The Open Championship

CUT

T26

CUT

CUT

T11

T31

DNP

T10

CUT

CUT
PGA Championship

T19

CUT

T62

5

T9

T58

T17

CUT

CUT

CUT

 

Tournament

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009
The Masters

CUT

CUT

T40

CUT

CUT

CUT

CUT

CUT

CUT

CUT
U.S. Open

T27

DNP

DNP

T28

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP
The Open Championship

T55

CUT

CUT

T18

DNP

T41

T48

DNP

CUT

2
PGA Championship

T9

T66

T48

CUT

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

 

Tournament

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016
The Masters

T18

CUT

CUT

CUT

CUT

CUT

CUT
U.S. Open

T29

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP
The Open Championship

CUT

T22

T77

CUT

T51

CUT

DNP
PGA Championship

DNP

DNP

DNP

CUT

CUT

DNP

DNP

 

CUT = missed the half-way cut

DNP = did not play

“T” indicates tie for a place.
Results Timeline – Champions Tour

 

Tournament

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009
The Tradition

2

DNP

5

1

T55

T9

T14

T6

T3

T5
Senior PGA Championship

T17

1

T18

T17

T4

T27

T23

T52

T16

4
Senior British Open Championship

1

1

1

1

T22

1

T23

1

T5

T8
U.S. Senior Open

T10

T16

2

2

T25

T5

2

4

T23

T43
Senior Players Championship

T18

T8

DNP

T2

DNP

T3

T17

2

DNP

2

 

Tournament

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016
The Tradition

T15

T32

DNP

DNP

T6

T13

DNP
Senior PGA Championship

T18

1

DNP

T28

2

DNP

DNP
Senior British Open Championship

T24

T3

T10

T36

T10

T15

T27
U.S. Senior Open

5

DNP

T22

T23

DNP

T7

T54
Senior Players Championship

66

T28

T20

T27

DNP

DNP

T25

 

1 The Senior British Open was not a Champions Tour major until 2003

CUT = missed the halfway cut

DNP = Did not play

“T” indicates tie for a place