Denis Watson

Denis Leslie Watson (born 18 October 1955) is a professional golfer from Zimbabwe.
Early life and amateur career.
Born in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe) Watson was educated at Oriel Boys High School, Chisipite.
Watson represented Rhodesia at the 1974 Eisenhower Trophy in the Dominican Republic, in the same team as Mark McNulty, George Harvey and Edward Webber. The team finished 14th and Watson best Rhodesian player.
In August 1975, Watson, together with George Harvey, represented Rhodesia at El Rincon Golf Club in Bogotá, Colombia, among 18 two-man nation teams, competing for the Coupa El Rincon over 72 holes stroke-play. The Rhodesian team won, ten strokes ahead of Sweden, and Watson won individually on a score of 7-under par 281, five strokes ahead of Jan Rube, Sweden. The best amateur golf nations in the world were invited, but United States did not participate.
Watson was awarded Rhodesian Sportsman of the Year in 1975.
Professional career.
Watson turned professional in 1976 and played on the European Tour from 1978 to 1980. He went on to represent South Africa – sporting connections between Rhodesia and Apartheid South Africa were blurred at the time, for example the Rhodesian cricket team was once part of the South African domestic set-up. After moving to the United States, where he joined the PGA Tour, he had his career year in 1984 when he won the Buick Open, NEC World Series of Golf, and Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational to tie for the most wins on the PGA Tour that season.
Watson finished second in the 1985 U.S. Open, missing out on forcing a playoff by one shot, having incurred a two-stroke penalty earlier in the tournament. The penalty was assessed on the eighth hole in the first round, after he had waited longer than the allowed ten seconds for a putt that had hung on the lip of the hole to drop in. The ball did fall into the hole, but the birdie was disallowed and the penalty strokes added. The USGA and The R&A, the sports governing bodies, have since amended the penalty for this rules infraction to just a single stroke. Andy North eventually beat him by one shot.
Watson's career came to a sudden halt when he was injured while playing in the 1985 Goodyear Classic in South Africa. While hitting his ball out of the rough with a 9-iron, he struck a tree stump that had been hidden from view causing damage to his wrist, elbow and neck. He went on to win the tournament, but his problems had just begun. He required surgery on his wrist and neck, and was initially told that he would never play again. He did, but was unable to consistently reach the high standard that he had previously attained and after several more operations he retired towards the end of the 1990s.
After turning fifty, Watson joined the Champions Tour, and began to rediscover competitive form. He won the 2007 Senior PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, a senior major, by two strokes over Argentina's Eduardo Romero, his first win in 23 years. He was voted the 2007 Champions Tour Rookie of the Year.
Professional wins (9).
PGA Tour wins (3).
PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
Champions Tour wins (4).
Champions Tour playoff record (2–0)
Results in major championships.
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1980 Open Championship)<br>
WD = withdrew<br>
"T" = tied
Champions Tour major championships.
Results timeline.
"Results not in chronological order before 2012."
DNP = Did not play<br>
CUT = missed the halfway cut<br>
DQ = Disqualified<br>
"T" indicates a tie for a place<br>
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances.
Amateur