What is Tom Watson's net worth?
Tom Watson is a retired American professional golfer who has a net worth of $25 million. Tom Watson was among the top players in the world in the 70s and early 80s. He won eight major championships during his long career on the PGA Tour: five Open Championships, one US Open Championship, and two Masters titles. Watson also played for the US national team in four Ryder Cups, and captained the team to victory in 1993. He currently owns the design company Tom Watson Design Company in Kansas. The company has designed several golf courses such as; The Conservatory, Hammock Beach resorts, located in Palm Coast, Florida as well as the Phoenix Resort, in Miyazaki, Japan.
Early Life and Education
Tom Watson was born on September 4, 1949 in Kansas City, Missouri. Introduced to golf by his father Ray, he demonstrated his skill for the sport early on in life, and was a star player on his high school team at the Pembroke-Country Day School. Watson went on to win four consecutive Missouri State Amateur championships from 1967 to 1971. For his higher education, he attended Stanford University, where he played both golf and table tennis. Watson graduated in 1971 with a degree in psychology.
PGA Tour in the 70s and 80s
Watson joined the PGA Tour after graduating from Stanford in 1971. He contended in his first major championship a few years later at the US Open, but fizzled out in the final round. Watson quickly bounced back to win his first Tour title, the Western Open, just two weeks later. In 1975, with the guidance of legendary retired player Byron Nelson, Watson won his first Open Championship on his first appearance at the event. He became only the third player ever to win the Open on their debut. Watson won his second major championship, the Masters, in 1977; he claimed the title by defeating Jack Nicklaus by two strokes. The same year, Watson won his second Open Championship, also by defeating Nicklaus. In 1978, he won five PGA Tour events and tied for second at the Masters before falling short at the PGA Championship. Watson claimed another five PGA Tour victories in 1979, and again came in second at the Masters.
Watson had one of his best career years in 1980, winning his third Open Championship and notching six victories in US tournaments. The following year, he won his second Masters title. In 1982, Watson achieved a longstanding dream when he won the US Open at Pebble Beach. Once again in his career, he faced Jack Nicklaus in an epic showdown, beating him by two shots. Watson went on to also win the 1982 Open Championship, making him one of the few golfers to win both the US Open and Open Championship in the same year. He won his fifth and final Open Championship in 1983. The next year, Watson came in second at the Masters for the third time in his career, and finished tied for second at the Open. After that, Watson had a long dry spell, failing to win another PGA Tour event until the 1987 Nabisco Championship. He closed out the decade with a fourth-place finish at the Open.
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PGA Tour in the 90s and 2000s
Watson was unable to recapture his former glory in the 90s. However, he experienced a bit of a career resurgence in the latter half of the decade when he won the 1996 Memorial Tournament and the 1998 MasterCard Colonial, the last of his 39 PGA Tour wins. Watson also won the 1997 Dunlop Phoenix on the Japan Golf Tour. Proving his longevity, he continued to play at major championships well into the 2000s, including at the 2003 US Open and the 2005 Open.
At nearly 60 years of age, Watson led after the second and third rounds of the 2009 Open, making him the oldest man to have ever held the lead after any round of a major. He returned to the Masters in 2010, tying for 18th place. This gave him the record for the longest span of time between first and last PGA Tour playoffs, at 34 years. Watson's strong performances earned him a special exemption to the 2010 US Open, where he came in tied for 29th place. Watson played in his final Masters in 2016.
Other Tournaments
Beyond the PGA Tour, Watson competed on the Champions Tour, beginning in 1999. He racked up 14 wins on the Tour, including six senior majors, three of which came at the Senior Open Championship. Elsewhere, Watson played for the US national team in four Ryder Cups, winning in 1977, 1981, and 1983 and tying with the European team in 1989. In 1993, as a non-player, he captained the team to victory in England. Watson captained the team again over 20 years later in a loss to Scotland.
Personal Life
Watson has been married multiple times. His first wife was Linda Rubin, to whom he was wed from 1972 until their divorce in 1997. Watson married his second wife, Hilary, in 1999; they remained together until her passing in 2019. He went on to marry, and shortly thereafter separate, from LeslieAnne Wade in 2022. Watson has five children from his marriages, and resides in Kansas.
As a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, Watson has designed a number of golf courses through his design company. His portfolio includes courses throughout the US, including in South Carolina, Missouri, Florida, and Kansas.
Kansas Estate
Tom Watson's primary residence is a 155 acre estate in Overland Park, Kansas. He built a 4,000 square foot primary mansion on the estate in 1994. The property has several additional structures, a several golf holes and a lake.
