(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Editor's Note: Since posting this article on Friday, Watson played some more fantastic golf, coming from behind to finish the Open tied for first with Stuart Cink, a 36-year old America. After missing a 10-foot putt in the playoffs, Watson placed second—not bad for a man who will be kicked off the tour next year, when he turns 60, but not enough for me to win the bet I made with my editor. Tom Watson, you owe me a dollar. 

Tiger who? For most of yesterday, the British Open was dominated by Tom Watson, the 59-year-old American who has been playing professional golf for 38 years. (Watson ended the day one stroke behind the leader, and was in an eight-way tie for fourth place as play continued today.) While hitting the links is sometimes unfairly maligned as a hobby for retirees, competitive golfers usually hit their stride before 40. Older golfers have had their moments: at 53, Greg Norman held the lead for most of the 2008 British Open before tying for third place, and Jack Nicklaus continued to excel professionally until he was 60, then played another five years on the Senior Tour.

“Golf is much more of a lifetime sport; one that relies on technique and tactical ability,” says Mark Verstegen, founder and chairman of Athlete's Performance, a strength and training facility for professional athletes. “You can constantly improve your tactical ability and get smarter about how you play the game. With age, you may continue to improve on a technical and tactical level at a greater rate than your physical strength decreases.” Golf relies on precision and consistency, skills dependent on a cooler head that can come with age. The longer professional golfers play the best courses, the more they become familiar with each green’s idiosyncrasies, which can be more advantageous than a 20-year-old’s upper body strength. Still, 59? Pretty impressive. So in honor of Watson’s stellar performance yesterday, we collected a list of some of the greatest older athletes in their fields.

Jamie Moyer

 

(AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr.)

When the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series in 1980, local boy Jamie Moyer skipped high school to go to the victory parade. Last year, at 46, he got to ride in the parade, after he helped the Phils win the second World Series in their history.  Last night, he won his 255th career game by throwing seven innings of one-hit ball against the Marlins. He remains the winningest pitcher currently active in the major leagues.

Moyer may be the oldest current player, but he’s not the only over-40 athlete to make it in the bigs. Of course, Nolan Ryan was famous for playing—and playing well—until he was 47. But that’s nothing compared with Satchel Paige, who played professionally until he was 59.

George Blanda

(AP Photo)

Nicknamed “The Fossil,” Blanda played professional football for a record 26 seasons, up through his 47th year. Blanda was a kicker, quarterback, and lineman, and at 43, as a member of the Oakland Raiders, threw three touchdown passes in a historic come-from-behind victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. At the time of his retirement in 1976, he held the career record for most points scored. 

Mike Flynt, on the other hand, did not have a long and illustrious football career—he was kicked off his college team before his senior year. So in 2007, with one year of  NCAA eligibility remaining, he re-enrolled at Sul Ross State and made the football team as a walk-on. Flynt was 59. He played out his last season of Division III football as a lineman and on special teams, and cowrote a book about his experience, The Senior (Thomas Nelson, 2008).

Dara Torres

(AP Photo/Tom Strickland)

It seemed the only thing that could distract reporters from the Michael Phelps juggernaut at last year’s Olympics was Dara Torres’s advancing age and supermom status. Torres, at  40, won two silver medals in Beijing: one in the 50-meter freestyle, and one as anchor of the women’s 4 x 100 relay team. But Torres is not even close to being the oldest athlete at the modern Olympic Games: Oscar Swahn, a shooter from Sweden who was 72 when he competed in the 1920 Games, is the oldest athlete on record. Last year, 59-year-old shooter Libby Callahan was the most senior member on the U.S. team. Shooting, like golf, is another precision sport that benefits less from speed and strength than confidence and precision, skills that favor older athletes.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Due to the extreme speed and strength needed to play a full game of pro basketball, these athletes tend to peak earlier than most. Still, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played until he was 42, and according to NBA.com, at the time of his retirement "no NBA player had ever scored more points, blocked more shots, won more MVP awards, played in more All-Star Games, or logged more seasons. His list of personal and team accomplishments is perhaps the most awesome in league."

Nancy Lieberman

Last year Nancy Lieberman, then 50, became the oldest WNBA player in history when she signed with the Detroit Shock for one week. During that time, she played one game and had two assists and two turnovers. When the league began in 1997, Lieberman, then 39, was also the oldest player.  That time, she stayed with her team for a year before becoming the head coach.

George Foreman
In 1994, a 45-year-old George Foreman beat a man almost half his age, knocking out his 25-year-old competitor to win his second heavyweight title.  “If people are in a great training program, that physicality doesn’t need to fade, and they can stay at the top of their game," says Verstegen. "There’s no reason people can’t improve physically well into their 40s.”

Who did we forget? Add your favorite over-the-hill athlete below.