Watson dreaming the dream

Tom Watson, 60 in September, unbelievably takes a one-stroke lead into the final round of The Open at Turnberry and on Saturday night said: "Who knows, it might happen.

"It would be something special if I do what I intend to do.

"The first day it was 'let this old geezer have his day in the sun'. The second day it was 'that's OK'. Now today it's 'this old geezer might have a chance to win the tournament'."

He added: "For some reason I didn't feel real nervous out there. I guess serene is again the right word for it.

"I made a game plan - normally I've never had a game plan - about the number of birdies and the number of bogeys. I messed up a couple of times, but I didn't let it bother me. It was kind of emotional out there."

He and his caddie both shed tears at the end over Watson's former bag-carrier Bruce Edwards, who died at 49 five years ago after a battle with Lou Gehrig's disease.

Asked if he had become the George Foreman of golf Watson laughed and replied: "No, I don't name all my kids George. My kids have different names."

And when he was questioned about how his nerves might be as he tries to complete a record-equalling sixth victory 34 years after his first and 26 years after his fifth he said: "My nerves are too fried to feel."

Watson, who has England's Ross Fisher and Australian Mathew Goggin on his heels and Lee Westwood and Retief Goosen two back, would be the oldest Open champion by 13 years and the oldest major champion by 11.

In The Open he would take over from Old Tom Morris, 46 when he triumphed for the fourth time in 1867, and in the majors he would replace Julius Boros, 48 at the 1968 US PGA Championship.