The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bubba looking for a win
Perhaps Bubba Watson can hit the reset button when the PGA Tour returns to the Riviera Country Club next week.
Watson, a two-time Masters champion and University of Georgia grad, won in Los Angeles a year ago and will be back to defend his title in what is now the Genesis Open. Since that victory, Watson has gone 17 events without a win, hasn’t had a top-10 finish since March and failed to make the Ryder Cup team.
Watson has won twice at Riviera, which is a shot-mak- ers course that remains a favorite among the PGA Tour players. Watson said, “You could hit shots around there. You can use your imagination.”
Watson has played sparingly this season. He tied for 25th at the Tournament of Champions and missed the cut last week at the Phoe- nix Open.
Howell riding hot streak: Augusta’s Charles Howell III is carrying a lot of momentum into Riviera, the site of one of his two career wins.
Since January, Howell has tied for eighth at the Sony Open in Hawaii, tied for 12th at the CareerBuilder Challenge and tied for second at the Farmers Insurance Open. He started this week in eighth place on the FedEx Cup points list.
Ironically, Riviera isn’t one Pebble Beach, Calif. Pebble Beach GL (Yardage: 6,816. Par: 72); Spyglass Hill (Yardage: 6,953. Par: 72); Monterey Peninsula CC Shore Course (Yardage: 6,958. Par: 71) $7.2 million (First prize: $1,296,000) Today-Friday, 3 to 6 p.m. (Golf); Saturday, 1 to 2:30 p.m. (Golf); 3 to 6 p.m. (CBS); Sunday, 1 to 2:30 p.m. (Golf); 3to 6:30 p.m. (CBS) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Saujana Golf and CC (Yardage: 7,186. Par: 72) $3 million Today -Friday, 2 to 5 a.m. (Golf); Saturday-Sunday, 6 to 10 a.m. (Golf) Boca Raton, Fla. The Old Course at Broken Sound Club (Yardage: 6,807. Par: 72) $1,750,000 (First prize: $262,500) Friday, noon to 2:30 p.m. (Golf); Saturday, 3 to 5:30 p.m. (Golf); Sunday, 3 to 5 p.m. (Golf) of the Howell’s best courses, even though he’s won there. In the nine stops since his victory in 2007, Howell has missed the cut three times and not finished higher than 55th.
Good start for ex-Jackets: Georgia Tech rookies Ollie Schniederjans and Ricky Werenski are having no trouble getting their PGA Tour careers started. Each one already has a top-10 finish this year.
Schniederjans tied for ninth at the Farmers Insurance Open and entered the week 47th on the FedEx Cup points list. Werenski tied for ninth at the CareerBuilders Challenge and is 71st on the points list.
GSGA loses bet: The Georgia State Golf Association lost its Super Bowl wager with the Massachusetts Golf Association. The GSGA must cough up a box of Georgia-related goodies, including Coca-Cola, peaches and pecans. The MGA bet a cauldron of clam chowder with oyster crackers.
Everett retires after 43 years: Ed Everett has retired as PGA golf professional at Doublegate Country Club in Albany after 43 years. He is best known for winning the 1997 National PGA Senior Club Professional Championship. A former captain of the Mercer golf team, Everett won the Georgia PGA Senior Championship seven times and the Georgia Senior Open five times. He is a member of the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
Etc.: Ole Miss sophomore Braden Thornberry took a giant step toward making the Walker Cup team by winning the Jones Cup at Ocean Forest Golf Club at St. Simons Island. ... Nike Golf has rolled out a new Air Jordan I Retro hightop golf shoe. The limited edition shoes retail for $200 . ... Covington-based Bridgestone Golf is selling limited-edition balls with the Super Bowl and Falcons logo. They retail for $24.99 for a half-dozen . ... Georgia Tech finished seventh at the Amer Ami Invitational in Hawaii. Freshman Tyler Strafaci, playing as an individual, shot 8 under and tied for 13th . ... Georgia opens the spring season at the Puerto Rico Classic on Feb. 19-21 . ... Georgia State opens the season Feb. 20-21 at the Mobile Intercollegiate.