Tom Watson continues to pride himself on the fact he’s missed the halfway cut in just overseas event in his long 40-year professional career.

The 63-year old American headed into the second round of the Emirates Australian Open having struggled on the first day of the event with a round of 78 but then in a 10-shot turnaround, Watson was naturally delighted to shoot a four under par 68 and guarantee himself a place over the weekend the prestigous Australian event.

Watson’s round was the equal lowest of the day and among just four players to shoot 68s.

American Tom Watson on route to a 10-shot turnaround on day two of the Emirates Australian Open. (Photo – Anthony Powter/www.golffile.ie)

“That was a good morning’s work and I didn’t make the mistakes I made yesterday and just played pretty solid golf,” he said.

“I didn’t put it in the ice plants.  I didn’t put it in the water and somehow that improves your score a little bit when you don’t do that (smiling).

“But the conditions were a lot easier this morning than yesterday afternoon when I teed up and now that it’s picking up a little, it should equalise the field.”

Watson, hitting off the 10th tee picked up four birdies over his outward nine before dropping a shot at his 12th hole but then birdied the eighth or the 17th hole of his round where he holed a 40-foot putt along with sinking a six-footer at the last to save par to get back to two over par.

“The back nine par fives were there to birdie today and that’s what I did and I was shooting at getting back to two over par all day and managed to achieve that.”

Watson is no stranger to competing overseas and proudly boasted that apart from the Open Championship.  Indeed, the five-time Open Championship winning Watson has missed nine of 35 Open Championship halfway cuts (1976, 1992-93, 1998-99, 2001-02, 2008 and 2010).

“Aside from the British Open I’ve never missed a cut overseas as I’ve never missed the cut in any event here in Australia, never missed the cut in Japan, never missed in the Australasian area,” he said.

“I just hate missing cuts.  I really do.   It means you failed.

“I said I felt embarrassed after yesterday’s round and that had something to do with me wanting to play better today.  I played sloppy golf yesterday making unforced errors and when you do that you are going to shoot the scores you did.”

And Waston revealed it was a slight change in his golf swing that proved pivotal for the Kansan-born golfer who’s won 70 pro career titles in his lifetime.

“I made a slight adjustment in my golf swing that resulted in me hitting the ball a lot more solidly today,” he said.

“I made a little bit of a rotation change in my backswing that freed up the club and it made it a little bit easier to set up the club.

“Also making some long putts helped so I am a lot more satisfied with my round today than I was yesterday.”