Bubba Watson *intentionally* drove his tee shot into the rough on Friday at the PGA Championship, and his reasoning was ... relatable.
“I was like, ‘we need to go ahead and hit it in the rough,'” Watson said. “I hadn’t missed a fairway yet, and I didn’t want to go to 17 or 18 having a chance to hit every fairway.” With 17 and 18 — two of the toughest holes on the golf course — still ahead, Watson had simply been striking it too well. And the reason? On Friday, the new shaft played a key role in one of the best driving rounds of Watson’s career. And the kicker?
TULSA — In the fall of 2021, when Ted Scott told Bubba Watson that he'd like a guarantee of 10 more years as his caddie, it was a promise Bubba couldn't ...
"All my victories and the two majors that I did win," he said, "I hit a shot out of the trees, you know what I'm saying? At the moment when he most needed a recovery, the wheels fell off for Watson. The 15th hole was the dismal lowlight, with a second shot out of the rough that traveled just 54 yards. Things went a bit calm on the course at that point as the wind picked up, but when things seemed to have settled into the same low key that predominated on Thursday and Friday, Watson sparked a massive roar on the seventh with a 21-foot birdie to take solo second, six under for the tournament. Nobody was making a massive charge from below, and only Mito Pereira, with birdies on Nos. 2 and 5, was holding up his end of the bargain at the top. Ahead of him, Will Zalatoris was clearly feeling the pressure of leading a major, and Watson’s playing partner Justin Thomas was massively out of sorts from the start on his way to a disappointing 74. On a gray, windy and, most of all, cold day, Watson showed up on the first tee in a gray sweater, khaki pants (no pleat) and white Ping visor atop the quasi-page boy haircut, greeted by the usual array of rogue "Bubba!" shouts from the gallery.
Bubba Watson followed a round-of-the-week 63 on Friday with a 73 in Round 3 of the PGA Championship on Saturday.
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Leaderboard1 Mito Pereira -8 (69)T2 Matt Fitzpatrick -6 (67)T2 Will Zalatoris -6 (73)4 Cameron Young -5 (67)5 Abraham Ancer -4 (70)T76 Tiger Woods +12 ...
Mito Pereira has bogeyed No. 8, his first misstep today in what has otherwise been a terrific round of golf. It's an even-par 35 on the front nine for him. Webb is one of 15 players in red numbers right now and you could make the argument that all of them have a chance. That's not saying too terribly much — the previous best was a T40 at the Open Championship last year, with seven missed cuts in 10 total starts. He's now -5, two-under for the day, and tied with Cameron Young in third place, three shots behind leader Mito Pereira. We have not seen Fitzpatrick this high on a leaderboard in a major since ... well, it's been a long time. Great height, good speed and rolled down to a very makeable putt for Zalatoris, who is now T2 with Matt Fitzpatrick at 6-under. Pereira, as you may know, has not won on the PGA Tour yet, much less won a major championship. They're six shots behind the lead. Pereira started hot, cooled off in the middle of his round and watched his lead dwindle to one stroke, but played the final six holes in 3-under to card a 69. He declined to commit to playing the fourth round after the round. After making the cut with a round of 69 in Friday's second round, Woods struggled throughout Saturday with a 79.
TULSA, Okla. — (AP) — The Latest on the third round of the PGA Championship (all times local):. ___. 4:20 p.m.. Bubba Watson carried the momentum from his ...
That left the course a little softer as it was starting to get firm. He finished the front side in 6-over 41 on a cold and windy morning at Southern Hills. This time, it rolled back to the bottom of the trap and gave Hickock a decent lie. Hickock had hit into the greenside bunker at the par-4 12th before his shot out of the sand caught the lip and bounced back toward him. Woods actually rallied down the stretch Saturday, playing the last five holes in 1 under. He had two birdies in the first four holes. But Simpson made it look easy while others struggled badly in the morning. That left him 5 under for the championship. That left the 2012 Masters champ three shots behind Mito Pereira. ___ The PGA of America said Woods has withdrawn. ___
Bubba Watson has explained what was going through his mind as he tied the course record at the PGA Championship.
"I was like, we need to go ahead and hit it in the rough. "Yeah, it's up there for sure," he said. Perhaps his incredible score was down to an equipment change? He made five more birdies down the stretch, only making bogey at 14. Watson said: "Don't get me wrong. It's an honour to be able to shoot 63 on any golf course.
Bubba Watson carried the momentum from his blistering second-round 63 into the third round at the PGA Championship, where he played the front side in 1 ...
That left the course a little softer as it was starting to get firm. He finished the front side in 6-over 41 on a cold and windy morning at Southern Hills. This time, it rolled back to the bottom of the trap and gave Hickock a decent lie. Hickock had hit into the greenside bunker at the par-4 12th before his shot out of the sand caught the lip and bounced back toward him. Woods actually rallied down the stretch Saturday, playing the last five holes in 1 under. He had two birdies in the first four holes. But Simpson made it look easy while others struggled badly in the morning. That left him 5 under for the championship. That left the 2012 Masters champ three shots behind Mito Pereira. ___ The PGA of America said Woods has withdrawn. ___
It's been a long time since Bubba Watson contended for the PGA Championship. And he was right there for a while on Saturday.
Watson jumped up into the mix with that stunning 63 on Friday that tied the lowest score in PGA Championship history. The pressure seemed to be bearing down on Pereira when he had a stretch of four bogeys in five holes. “Yesterday I made them all and today I missed them on the back nine,” Watson said of a putting stroke that was off by inches Saturday. “Wish they would have went in. His best finish over the last 12 years has been a tie for 21st, and he missed the cut four times. But he could have literally been within touching distance on the first tee if not for a swing that got a little too loose in the late afternoon. An up-and-down third round at blustery Southern Hills put Watson tantalizingly close to the lead until he faded late with some trouble finding fairways and greens over the back nine.
An up-and-down third round at blustery Southern Hills put Watson tantalizingly close to the lead until he faded late with some trouble finding fairways and ...
Watson jumped up into the mix with that stunning 63 on Friday that tied the lowest score in PGA Championship history. Among them, the top six have two PGA Tour wins and eight in Europe. The lefty with the buttoned up collar hasn't won a major since the 2014 Masters or any tournament since 2018, and the galleries tried to push him along Saturday. His record at the PGA has been dismal since losing a playoff at Whistling Straits in 2010. His 12 career PGA Tour wins, including two Masters, towers over anything the six players in front of him have done. But he could have literally been within touching distance on the first tee if not for a swing that got a little too loose in the late afternoon. It's been a long time since Bubba Watson contended for the PGA Championship. And he was right there for a while on Saturday. An up-and-down third round at blustery Southern Hills put Watson tantalizingly close to the lead until he faded late with some trouble finding fairways and greens over the back nine.
The Latest on the third round of the PGA Championship (all times local):. ___. 6:45 p.m.. There will be no Sunday red for Tiger Woods in the PGA ...
That left the course a little softer as it was starting to get firm. He finished the front side in 6-over 41 on a cold and windy morning at Southern Hills. This time, it rolled back to the bottom of the trap and gave Hickock a decent lie. Hickock had hit into the greenside bunker at the par-4 12th before his shot out of the sand caught the lip and bounced back toward him. ___ Woods actually rallied down the stretch Saturday, playing the last five holes in 1 under. ___ He had two birdies in the first four holes. But Simpson made it look easy while others struggled badly in the morning. ___ ___ ___
TULSA, Okla. — (AP) — The Latest on the third round of the PGA Championship (all times local):. ___. 4:20 p.m.. Bubba Watson carried the momentum from his ...
That left the course a little softer as it was starting to get firm. He finished the front side in 6-over 41 on a cold and windy morning at Southern Hills. This time, it rolled back to the bottom of the trap and gave Hickock a decent lie. Hickock had hit into the greenside bunker at the par-4 12th before his shot out of the sand caught the lip and bounced back toward him. Woods actually rallied down the stretch Saturday, playing the last five holes in 1 under. He had two birdies in the first four holes. But Simpson made it look easy while others struggled badly in the morning. That left him 5 under for the championship. That left the 2012 Masters champ three shots behind Mito Pereira. ___ The PGA of America said Woods has withdrawn. ___
Bubba Watson carried the momentum from his blistering second-round 63 into the third round at the PGA Championship, where he played the front side in 1 ...
That left the course a little softer as it was starting to get firm. He finished the front side in 6-over 41 on a cold and windy morning at Southern Hills. This time, it rolled back to the bottom of the trap and gave Hickock a decent lie. Hickock had hit into the greenside bunker at the par-4 12th before his shot out of the sand caught the lip and bounced back toward him. Woods actually rallied down the stretch Saturday, playing the last five holes in 1 under. He had two birdies in the first four holes. But Simpson made it look easy while others struggled badly in the morning. That left him 5 under for the championship. That left the 2012 Masters champ three shots behind Mito Pereira. ___ The PGA of America said Woods has withdrawn. ___