Watson getting comfortable at Travelers
Bubba Watson says TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., feels like home. It certainly was a comfortable place again this week.
Watson overcame a sixstroke deficit Sunday to win his third Travelers Championship title, shooting a 7-under63 for a three-shot victory.
The left-hander became the first three-time winner on the PGA Tour this season and pulled within one of Billy Casper’s tournament record of four victories. He finished at 17-under 263.
Watson also came from six back to win the 2010 event for his first tour title.
“I feel like this is my home course,” Watson said. “As soon as they put the schedule up, I sign up for this. I want to come back here. This means so much, not only from the golf side of it, but from the family side. My dad, it was the only time he got to see me win [in 2010]. He got to see me qualify for the Ryder Cup at this event. So all these things just mean so much to my family.”
Watson shot a 33 on the front nine, but really got it going on the back, with five birdies. He tied Paul Casey for the lead at 16 under by getting up and down from the bunker for a birdie on the course’ssignature 15th hole.
Still tied on the par-4 18th, Watson hit his tee shot 366 yards, then pitched inside 3 feet, giving caddie Ted Scott a big high-five before taking the lead with the putt.
Casey, who shot 65, 67 and 62 to lead the field by four shots coming into Sunday, birdied his opening hole. But he gave that back on the fifth and had back-to-back bogeys on 16 and 17.
Watson also won at Rivera in Los Angeles in February and the World Golf Championships-Match Play in Austin, Texas, in March. He earned $1.26 million for his 12th career victory.
Late surge by McCarron
Scott McCarron won the American Family Insurance Championship in Madison, Wis., closing with an 8-under 64 for a one-stroke victory over hometown player Jerry Kelly. McCarron, 52, birdied Nos. 14-16 and parred the final two to hold on for his first victory of the season and seventh in three years on the PGATour Champions.
Big charge short in BMW
England’s Matt Wallace shot a 7-under 65 to hold off a record-breaking charge from Thorbjorn Olesen and win the BMW International Open in Pulheim, Germany. Wallace, who won his third European event, finished at 10-under 278, just ahead of Olesen and two others. Olesen played himself into contention with the lowest round in tournament history, with nine birdies and an eagle for an 11-under 61. It was the lowest round of his European Tour career and it gave the Dane a three-shot lead before the final group had even teed off.
Teen cruises
Japanese teenager Nasa Hataoka ran away with the NW Arkansas Championship in Rogers for her first PGA Tour title. Hataoka, 19, won by six strokes for a tournament-record 21-under 192 total. She broke the mark of 18 under set a year ago by So Yeon Ryu. Hataoka won twice late in 2017 on the Japan LPGA and has finished in the top 10 in five of her past six LPGA Tour stars, including a playoff loss in May in the Kingsmill Championship.