Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - There is a reason this column is two days late.

Call it an experiment, but there were two columns in the old brain bank. One if something bad happened on Thursday, the other if something good happened.

Let's say this is the "good" column.

I wanted to wait and see how Tom Watson responded.

Watson shot a three-under 67 in the first round of the Senior British Open, and is close to the lead. This performance, less than a week following his playoff loss at the real British Open, shows who Watson is.

After the exhausting week at Turnberry, it would've been easy and understandable for Watson to withdraw. No one else in the field at Sunningdale could boast as grueling an experience, unless they climbed a mountain last week.

But would Watson ever consider bailing?

"No," Watson said when asked the same question Tuesday before the Senior British Open.

Of course not. Watson has too much respect for the game, the United Kingdom, anything titled the Open Championship and his peers. Those peers reciprocated.

We heard all week last week about the fact that Jack and Barbara Nicklaus texted Watson. Sam Torrance said publicly that Watson's runner-up last week at the age of 59 was one of the top sporting achievements of all time.

"It's overblown I think," Watson said. "I was just trying to win a golf tournament that I thought I could win, honestly. It wasn't anything more or less than that."

Man, this guy just gets better with each day.

After Stewart Cink won, Watson was sincere in his appreciation not just for Cink's play, but Cink's words of praise. Typical class, but Watson offered more than that.

He opened his press conference on Sunday with a "This ain't a funeral, you know." Immediate laughter. Watson said the word "hell" more times than my dad when I got a D in chemistry. He knew the gravity of what happened, knew that his best simply wasn't enough and was man enough to stand before the world and say so.

It's tough for anyone, let alone a Hall of Fame golfer, to realize his best wasn't enough. (To be fair, Watson wasn't at his best on Sunday, and his par putt to win on the 72nd hole was, at best, pathetic.) At 59, he can take some solace in knowing that not a single person on the planet earth figured he could win at the start of the week, yet there he was with a one-shot lead on the 72nd tee.

Alas, one wayward approach, a slightly firm putt and a terrible effort led to a playoff. Watson lost to the better man. Actually, he lost to the better golfer. Cink is thought to be one of the nicest men on tour, and he is a major championship-caliber player who finally broke through.

Still, this was the Watson Open and not just for his near-heroics on the course. He came along and bailed golf out for a week and should be an inspiration to all pros out there.

When you hear Tiger Woods dropping "f" bombs like he was the star of a Tarantino vampire flick, remember, the worst thing Watson said was "hell."

When the next star blows off the media after a bad round, remember that Watson not only answered every question, but made a bummed-out press group feel better about themselves after it was clear that they too wanted Watson to win.

When Colin Montgomerie and Sandy Lyle are bickering like high school girls arguing about who gets to take Chad the star quarterback to their sock hop, remember, Watson got encouragement from his rivals.

Admire the guy who didn't rest on what he did last week. Admire the man who came out not a week later and got within one of the lead right away. That's what a man does. It's what a competitor does.

Cink deprived us of what easily would've been the greatest single story in golf history. But Watson provided us with so much more. He showed true class and toughness and in this era of modern athlete, that's a lot.

Watson isn't a modern athlete. He's a throw-back. Old-school, if you will.

Anyone doubt he's going to win the Senior British Open? He's near the top. That's what he was at Turnberry after 18 holes. Could be an omen. No matter, Watson's going to hang in there and earn legions of more fans.

It's what a man does, but a tough man shoots 67 four days after "great disappointment."

RANDOM THOUGHTS

- Lyle brought up Monty's cheating "scandal" from a few years back. Sandy, who brings something like this back up? Grow up for God's sake. Monty, don't let it distract you and don't admit it if it does. Grow up. You are both older men, and this is embarrassing for both of you.

- Last column was about ousting LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens. Done. Let's find successors. Forget names like Condoleezza Rice or Sandra Day O'Connor. I don't think Judy Rankin has enough business experience. My bet is the tour would love to get Ty Votaw back, but the one I'll go with is WNBA President Donna Orender. She worked for the PGA Tour for 17 years, though I wouldn't call the WNBA the greatest success in modern history. It's a tough call.

- Non-golf thought - Alarming trend and this comes from one friend in particular. She says someone will be a certain age. "Susie will be 26 in January." That makes her 25.