Even a 66 doesn't satisfy Tom Watson | Senior Open Notebook

SAMMAMISH — This is how finicky the great players can be: Tom Watson shot a 4-under 66 Sunday but wasn't happy with his play.

"My game is not very sharp right now, even though I went out and shot 66," he said. "Consistency is not there. I'm not catching the ball on the clubface very well."

Watson, a 60-year-old Hall of Famer who won eight major titles and almost added a ninth at last year's British Open, had rounds of 70-70-75-66 for a total of 281. He finished fifth.

Staying true

U.S. Senior Open champion Bernhard Langer said he talked to Sahalee course superintendent Rich Taylor after the tournament and told him, "I've never seen poa annua greens this good."

Langer told reporters that the greens "were true all day long, from morning to night."

Poa greens are common the West Coast and Langer said, "They usually get very bumpy."

Almighty Fred

Fred Couples hasn't lived in Seattle since he left for college, and an out-of-towner at the tournament asked a security guard, "Why is he still such a big deal?"

"You don't understand," she replied. "He's a god around here."

Good wood

Just like at the 1998 PGA Championship at Sahalee, a tree on the par-5 11th hole played a role in the victory.

In 1998, Vijay Singh's ball somehow made it through the branches of a maple tree guarding the green, and he birdied the hole on his way to victory.

On Sunday, Langer's tee shot appeared to be headed out of bounds on No. 11, but it hit a tree and bounced back on the fairway. He made par.

Notes

• Tom Kite had a disastrous 16th hole, making a 9 on the par 4. His adventures included a shank into the woods. He finished with a 73 and a tie for eighth with a 283 total.

• First-round leader Bruce Vaughn, who opened with a 4-under 66, then skied to 82 on Thursday, shot 71-78 on the weekend rounds to finish tied for 53rd with a 297 total.

• Fred Funk, who won the U.S. Senior Open last year with a record 20-under at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind., finished tied for 43rd after shooting 76-70-72-76 for a total of 294.

• There was an all-Buckeye pairing Sunday of ex-Ohio State teammates Joey Sindelar and Rod Spittle. Sindelar shot a 2-under 68 to finish tied for 18th at 287. Spittle shot even-par 70 to tie for 28th at 290.

• Langer said he thinks U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin should consider Couples as a Ryder Cup captain's pick. Couples is the U.S. captain for next year's President's Cup.

• Forty-seven of the pros who played in the Senior Open had committed to play in the Boeing Classic Aug. 27-29 at the TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge before the Open began. The list includes Couples, Langer, Kite, Mark Calcavecchia, John Cook, Jay Haas and Hale Irwin.

Boeing Classic tournament director Michelle DeLancy said she met with many players during the Open and said Funk and Mark O'Meara have committed to play in the Boeing event.

She said Nick Price, who withdrew from Sahalee because of a toe injury, also is in the field. If Price needs a golf cart, he can use one at the Boeing event. Golf carts were prohibited at the Senior Open.

• Starting in 2012, the British Senior Open and U.S. Senior Open won't be back-to-back events for at least three years. Many players, including Langer, who won both events, ripped the scheduling that had them playing Sunday in Scotland and Thursday in Seattle, eight time zones away.

The U.S. Senior Open will be played after the July 4 weekend in those years. There is no schedule change next year when the U.S. Senior Open will be played at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.

Timothy J. Flaherty, managing director of the U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Women's Open, conceded that the back-to-back senior majors on different continents is "not a good situation." He said many factors forced the scheduling this year including the Champions Tour schedule, NBC's schedule, the USGA schedule and British golf and TV schedules.

• There is a one-day merchandise sale on Monday at the main merchandise pavilion at Sahalee Country Club. Apparel, headwear, and accessories will be available for up to 50 percent off. Hours of operation are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and parking is located on-site, off Sahalee Way.