Golf Legend Tom Watson's new book-The Timeless Swing
Tom Watson, Kansas City 's professional golf legend, discussed his new book, "The Timeless Swing," on Wednesday, April 27, 2011, at Unity Temple . Watson, 61, a Kansas City native and an eight-time major winner, was on the practice tee at the Heritage Golf Classic at Hilton Head, S.C., in 1994.He was searching for, something — anything —Smoltz Puts Flexibility On Line that would solve a flaw in his swing, he says. And he remembers the feel of leveling out his shoulders, and adjusting his swing trajectory. It felt different, he says now, but it felt right.On Wednesday night, Watson discussed the book and his career with former Star sports columnist Joe Posnanski in front of a crowd of a few hundred people at Unity Temple on The Plaza.For more than an hour, Watson cycled through memories that became the inspiration for the book. He still believes that Sam Snead had the prettiest swing he’s ever seen; that longtime rival Jack Nicklaus was the most prepared golfer ever; and that the losses, including his almost-miraculous victory at the British Open at Turnberry in 2009, still supply a measure of hurt somewhere in his gut.“You don’t know anything in victory,” Watson said. “You can learn a lot in defeat.” As the event pushed past an hour, Watson began to tell a story about his near miss at the British Open in 2009 — and the feeling he had after he bogeyed the final hole with a 1-shot lead and then lost to Stewart Cink in a playoff.