Thomas Sturges Watson flashed that ageless Huckleberry Finn smile of his when he was asked if he was pinching himself.
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"I don't need to," he said, "I'm awake."
And so he was, making two late birdies to take an improbable 1-shot lead into Sunday's final round of the 138th Open Championship.
But are we awake?
How can this not all be a dream?
Are we really to believe that a man can win the 2009 British Open when he was born in the 1940s, in the same year Harry Truman was inaugurated, the NATO alliance was formed, Mao turned China Red, George Orwell's 1984 was published, NASCAR was born and Hopalong Cassidy made its debut on a medium called television?
Maybe that's the difference between us and Tom.
Where we hope for a fairytale ending — and, be sure, this would be the greatest accomplishment in the long history of golf — Tom really believes.
He's said all along that he felt he could win this tournament. The man's won eight majors, so perhaps he's got a clue.
