SI

Tom Watson Sidelined After Go-Kart Accident

The Hall of Famer's honorary first tee shot at the Masters will be in jeopardy following his left shoulder replacement surgery.

Gabrielle Herzig

Tom Watson Sidelined After Go-Kart Accident
Tom Watson Sidelined After Go-Kart Accident /

Hall of Famer Tom Watson shared Friday that he underwent a left shoulder replacement surgery after a go-kart rollover accident. The incident occurred last Monday at Watson’s Kansas farm, as reported by Golfweek.

Watson, 73, was set to compete in the PNC Championship with his son Michael on Dec. 17 and 18 in Orlando, but he will now miss the PGA Tour’s family team tournament.

The eight-time major champion also is slated to hit one of the honorary first tee shots at the Masters in April. Watson’s surgery likely puts this appearance in jeopardy. Watson joined Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player at the opening tee-shot ceremony for the first time at the 2022 Masters.

Watson’s competitive schedule has been sparse in 2022. He played in one PGA Tour Champions event in January, as well as the R&A’s Celebration of Champions at St. Andrews for the 150th British Open Championship. 

More Golf Coverage:

Published
Gabrielle Herzig
GABRIELLE HERZIG

Gabrielle Herzig is a Breaking and Trending News writer for Sports Illustrated Golf. Previously, she worked as a Golf Digest Contributing Editor, an NBC Sports Digital Editorial Intern, and a Production Runner for FOX Sports at the site of the 2018 U.S. Open. Gabrielle graduated as a Politics Major from Pomona College in Claremont, California, where she was a four-year member and senior-year captain of the Pomona-Pitzer women’s golf team. In her junior year, Gabrielle studied abroad in Scotland for three months, where she explored the Home of Golf by joining the Edinburgh University Golf Club.

Home/Golf