Old Guys, Superior Performance, Close but no cigar

So far I've not yet seen any comparison between the British Open, just completed, and the Masters, held a few monts ago. But I think the parallels are stark. Although Kenny Perry, who led the Masters till the end and Tom Watson are at different ends of the spectrum from a career point of view - Perry is a journeyman and Watson a Hall of Famer - they both represented the more mature presence in the field. Watson is older, by about 10 years, but even someone in their late 40s is old by PGA tour standars.

Both held the lead till the very last hole of the tournament, only to bogey that hole and set up a playoff. Both lost in the playoff. Perhaps this is the metaphor for the contribution seniors can make more broadly, excellent over a period but then eventually running out of steam. Not everything is a tournament. The broader lesson, perhaps, is that seeing the possibility of running out of steam, we old guys need to pass the baton to those with more energy. Hopefully, the younger folk are willing to take the handoff.