Tom Watson Captures 14th Professional Major Golf Championship

~ Age is Simply a Number - More than eight months after his 61st birthday, Tom Watson is still playing golf at the highest level - and reaping the rewards of his latest successes on the golf course. ~

Believe it or not, there actually was a time in which most golfing professionals were considered well past their primes once they blew out the candles on their birthday cakes during their 40th birthdays.

When 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus earned his eighteenth major championship victory during the 1986 Masters, the entire golf world was utterly stunned.

As golfers like Julius Boros, Raymond Floyd, and Gary Player remained competitive well into their 40s - and captured numerous golf tournaments and major championships around the world - many professionals and golf fans alike began to reconsider prior theories that golfers should consider retirement after the "primes" of their careers have passed.

In recent years, more professionals, such as Vijay Singh and Kenny Perry, have proven that golfers can indeed climb near to or all the way to the top of the world golf rankings no matter how "old" they may be perceived in comparision to other professional athletes.

Yet, in spite of the awe-inspiring performances of "late bloomers" like Perry or major champions like Singh, no other golfer has proven that golfers can remain competitive well into their 40s, 50s, and 60s than....Tom Watson.

Back in 2009, at the ripe age of 59, the five-time British Open champion almost won his record-tying sixth Open Championship - and came close to rewriting the history books altogether - before losing a four-hole playoff to Stewart Cink, who happens to be 23 years younger than Watson.

Incredibly, Watson has yet to slow down in the years since, even after his heartbreaking loss to Cink during a tournament in which most fans, critics, and television announcers believe he actually should have won.

To prove that he can still compete at a high level, this past Sunday, Watson rekindled some of his old magic on the golf course at the Senior PGA Championship as he defeated four-time Champions Tour winner David Eger during a sudden death playoff.

While displaying the silky smooth swing and steady putting stroke that helped him win 39 PGA TOUR tournaments, including eight major championships, Watson appeared to be much like the same player who regularly competed against - and defeated - Jack Nicklaus during his prime throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Just how impressive has Watson's play been since he joined the Champions Tour at the age of 50 back in 1999?

In addition to his attainment of the 2011 Senior PGA Championship, Watson has earned five other senior major championships, including the 2011 Senior PGA Championship, the 2003 Senior British Open, the 2003 JELD-WEN Tradition, the 2005 Senior British Open, and the 2007 Senior British Open.

At the same time, Watson has also won eight other Champions Tour events, as well as ten Senior "Silly Season" tournaments. Throughout the last ten years, he has had two top-ten finishes in major championships (the 2000 PGA Championship and the 2009 British Open)and 28 top-ten finishes in Champions Tour major championships.

He is currently the oldest player to hold the lead after 54 holes during a major championship and is also the oldest runner-up finisher in major championship history.

After winning yet another major championship, Watson himself could not believe how well he was still playing after spending more than 40 years of his life as a competitor on the PGA TOUR and the Champions Tour.

"Wow. Winning again at 61," Watson said during a post-tournament interview. "I don't think it's an age thing but, God, I've been out here a long time."

As he continued to reflect on his longevity, Watson seemed to have realized just how special the victory was, especially when one considers the limited amount of golfers who have maintained such a high level of performance and continued success for more than four consecutive decades.

"If this is the last tournament I ever win, it's not a bad one," Watson said. "I'm kind of on borrowed time out here at 61."

Even if Watson is on "borrowed time," as he suggested, the golfing world would not be surprised if he continued to obtain further tournament victories throughout the summer - and well after.

So what will Watson do for an encore? Should the golfing public expect to see him competing in this year's Open Championship at Royal St. George's Golf Club? Will he somehow find a way to defy the odds yet again - and actually capture his record-tying sixth Open Championship victory?

Considering all that he has accomplished during the past 40 years, nothing that Watson achieves in the future will likely surprise anyone.

The old adage that age is just a number has certainly been mentioned by thousands of individuals throughout the globe in recent years.

However, few people actually live out this phrase on a regular basis - time after time again - much like Watson does.

It will be interesting to see how Watson will continue to compete - and win - well into his 60s...and after.

For Tom Watson, age is truly just a number - and always will be.

Tom Watson's Major Championship Victories

~ 1975 British Open
~ 1977 Masters
~ 1977 British Open
~ 1980 British Open
~ 1981 Masters
~ 1982 U.S. Open
~ 1982 British Open
~ 1983 British Open
~ 2001 Senior PGA Championship
~ 2003 Senior British Open Championship
~ 2003 JELD-WEN Tradition
~ 2005 Senior British Open Championship
~ 2007 Senior British Open Championship
~ 2011 Senior PGA Championship