Watson tips cap to Woods’ links play

Tom Watson, the master of links golf, is ready to hand the mantel over to Tiger Woods.

Chasing a third British Seniors title in four years to go with his five British Open championships, Watson is the most successful links player of all-time in pro tournaments.

But he believes Woods is the new star of links golf after the unorthodox way he negotiated the Royal Liverpool course to win his third Open title Sunday at Hoylake.

“You look at what Tiger did last week and there was almost a criticism that he never used a driver,” Watson said Wednesday on the eve of the Senior British Open in Turnberry, Scotland. “I think that was the beauty of his game, that he could play the game as well as he did without having to hit a driver.”

Woods became the first player to win back-to-back British Opens since Watson in 1982-83. Watson made the cut at Hoylake and finished in a tie for 48th.

Watson won his five Opens at Carnoustie, Turnberry, Muirfield, Troon and Birkdale. His two Seniors titles on the British links came at Turnberry in 2003 and Royal Aberdeen last year.

•Tiger Woods committed to play at next month’s Buick Open at Warwick Hills in Grand Blanc, Mich.

Three tied for LPGA lead

Lorena Ochoa, Mi Hyun Kim and Shani Waugh shot 6-under-par 66s to lead the Evian Masters in Evian, France, where temperatures reached an unseasonable 91 degrees.

Ochoa birdied seven holes but bogeyed the 15th for her 66.

“I hit it close today and did not have that many long putts,” said Ochoa, the runner-up with Michelle Wie here a year ago when Paula Creamer won the tournament. Creamer opened this time with a 70.

Karrie Webb was one shot behind after a 67, with Maria Hjorth, Laura Davies and Se Ri Pak in at 68. Wie had a 69, tied with the game’s top-ranked player, Annika Sorenstam and Wendy Ward, of Edwall, Wash.

Cink helped out Crane

Fear swept across Ben Crane at one of the biggest events he’d played in his young career. So he made a quick decision – he would reach out to Stewart Cink for help.

The moment now sticks out in both players’ minds as Crane comes to Milwaukee for the U.S. Bank Championship as the defending champion when play begins today.

Crane had gotten his first crack at The Players Championship at Sawgrass in 2003, but he couldn’t shake the crowd or the pressure at the course’s signature island hole.

“He was having a mental struggle,” Cink said. “The island green was causing him some fits, it does to a lot of players.”

“I was afraid,” Crane said. “I grabbed Stewart and I said, ‘I need to talk to you.’ “

“One of the things Stewart told me was ‘The worst thing you can do is make a mistake. You can hit it in the water,’ ” Crane said. “Sometimes when you do that, you look back and say it wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be. You waste so much energy worrying about it.”

The next week, Crane hardly made any mistakes en route to his first title at the BellSouth Classic.