2. BUBBA BREAKS DROUGHT AT RIVIERA
Date: Feb. 18, 2018
Event: Genesis Open
Where: Riviera CC (Pacific Palisades, CA)
Winner: Bubba Watson -12 | Runner-up: Kevin Na, Tony Finau -10
Recap: Once a mainstay in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings, Bubba Watson had fallen out of the top 100 entirely, dropping to No. 117 in the world.
After a 6-under 65 in the third round, his lowest round on Tour since the 2015 FedExCup Playoffs, Watson held the the 54-hole lead for the first time in two years. And being paired with two young stars in Patrick Cantlay and Cameron Smith was not too much for the two-time Masters champion, as a smooth 2-under 69, highlighted by a 3-under bogey-free back nine was all he needed to capture the tournament title.
It wasn’t a total breeze, however, as three front-nine bogeys put Watson’s best championship opportunity in recent memory in jeopardy.
But he calmed down on his back nine, and a chip-in birdie from a greenside bunker on the par-3 14th hole gave Bubba a two-shot advantage and much-needed confidence coming down the stretch. After a birdie on the par-4 17th, a par-save on the 18th was more than enough to hold off his challengers.
WATCH BUBBA’S CLUTCH HOLE-OUT BIRIDE
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