story courtesy Royal and Ancient G.A.
TURNBERRY, Scotland -- There was a great moment on Friday on the 16th green when 36-hole co-leader Tom Watson holed another of his monster putts. Moments later he was followed in on the same line from a mere 40 feet by playing partner, the young Italian amateur Matteo Manassero. Clearly delighted, the 59-year-old Watson slapped palms with the 16-year-old youngster — the oldest and youngest in the field celebrating together.
The kinship between the two players continued at the awards ceremony, where they stood together as Stewart Cink was awarded the Claret Jug.
Manassero claimed the Silver Medal for the leading amateur to complete four rounds. He made the cut with shots to spare at 141, and after an extremely strong final round of 69, he finished T13, just 2-over for the tournament and four strokes out of the lead.
The other amateur in the field, Stephan Gross of Germany, failed to make it through to the weekend.
AmateurGolf.com Rankings
2009 season — official results & points
| Pos | Player | From | Scores | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T13 | Matteo Manassero | Italy | 71-70-72-69--282 | 1,200 |