Bubba Watson rallies to win his third Travelers Championship title
Overcomes a six-stroke deficit for his third title at TPC River Highlands
Cromwell — Bubba Watson says TPC River Highlands feels like home. It certainly was a comfortable place again this week.
Watson overcame a six-stroke deficit Sunday to win his third Travelers Championship title, shooting a 7-under 63 for a three-stroke 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. Thirdround leader Paul Casey, Stewart Cink, Beau Hossler and J.B. Holmes tied for second. Casey shot 72, Cink 62, Hossler 66 and Holmes 67.
Watson also came from six back to win the 2010 event for his first tour title and beat Casey in a playoff in 2015.
"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."
During the victory ceremony, Watson's adopted children — 6-year-old son Caleb and 3-year-old daughter Dakota — received small trophies of their own.
Watson shot a 33 on the front nine, but really got it going on the back, with five birdies. He tied Casey at 16-under par by getting up and down from the bunker for a birdie on the course's signature 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.
"Hitting some of those shots, especially the shot on 18, downwind, it was very difficult, but somehow pulling it
Rogers, Ark. — Nasa Hataoka didn't have the star power in her final grouping at the NW Arkansas Championship.
What the Japanese teenager did have by the time she was finished was her first victory on the LPGA Tour.
Hataoka shot an 8-under 63 to run away with the tournament at Pinnacle Country Club on Sunday. The 19-year-old did so in record-breaking fashion, finishing with a tournament-best 21-under 192 total — three better than the mark set last year by So Yeon Ryu.
Tied at 13 under with ninthranked Minjee Lee entering the day, Hataoka was paired with Lee and third-ranked Lexi Thompson on Sunday. She jumped to the early lead and never let up while matching the lowest round of the week.
Austin Ernst was second after a 65. Lee and Thompson topped the group at 13 under.
They were all left looking up at the 5-foot-2 Hataoka, who entered the week ranked 30th.
"I (have) played with Lexi and all the big-name players," Hataoka said. "Playing with them was really big for me, and winning this tournament was so huge for me."
Hataoka won twice late last year on the Japan LPGA and has finished in the top 10 in five of her last six LPGA Tour stars, including a playoff loss last month in the Kingsmill Championship. This year has been a far change from last year when she made only eight of 19 cuts on the LPGA Tour, including a missed cut in Arkansas.
Much of her success has come in the last three months after she won the tour's qualifying tournament in December to earn her full tour card. Hataoka missed the cut in two of her first three tournaments this year, but she's now earned prize money in 10 straight events — including $300,000 on Sunday.
"She played amazing," Thompson said. "... She's just got a great game, no weaknesses, pretty long off the tee and just rolls it amazing on the greens. So, it was great to watch. It was definitely a well-deserved win."
The final round was delayed by an hour and a half because of morning thunderstorms. When Hataoka did finally tee off, she did so in a tie with Lee at 13 under.
That didn't last long after Hataoka chipped in from just off the green on the par-3 third hole for a birdie to reach 14 under. Lee, meanwhile, left her chip shot well short on the rain-soaked green and two-putted for a bogey that dropped her two shots off the lead.
Hataoka stretched her lead to four shots after reaching the 520-yard par-5 seventh hole in two and two-putting for birdie. ing it off" Watson said. "And that's what we all try to do on Sundays is pull off the amazing shot."
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 to end any chance he had of catching Watson.
The Englishman has finished in the top 20 in eight of his last nine tournaments. He was second here during his first visit in 2015, came in 17th a year later and had a fifth-place finish in Cromwell a year ago.
"There was a lot of fight in there," Casey said. "But, I fought my golf swing all day as you can see coming down the last couple of holes."
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.
Cink tied the best round of the week with a 62 on Sunday. The two-time Travelers Champion came out blazing, opening with three straight birdies and putting up a 29 on the front nine. He was 7-under through 10 and acknowledged thinking about a sub-60 round after making birdie on the 15th.
"I knew that I needed three birdies to shoot 59. But quickly, I also remembered that the golf tournament was on the line and it would mean a lot more to me to win the Travelers Championship than to shoot a 59."
He bogeyed 16, but finished the round with his 10th birdie.
Defending champion Jordan Spieth, who was tied for the lead after the opening round, shot a 69 to finish at 4 under. There hasn't been a repeat champion in Cromwell since Phil Mickelson in 2001 and 2002. Spieth said he was originally planning to take time off until he defends his title at the British Open, but may re-evaluate that as he works on his game.
U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka shot a 65 to tie for 19th at 9 under. He said his top priority right now is rest, but said that won't come until after he attends a bachelor party for his best friend next week.
"I don't feel like I need to play; I feel like my game is in a good spot," he said. "I played really well this week, just some stupid mistakes, just mental errors. That's all it was, lack of focus, low energy. To be honest with you, I'm not surprised."
Qualifier Chase Seiffert shot a 63 on Monday just to make the tournament. He shot a 64 Sunday to finish at 12 under and tie for ninth.
Seiffert's round included an eagle at the sixth hole that saw him put second shot 301 yards over the green, before holing out from 49 feet away. The 26-year-old former Florida State star also qualified last year and tied for 43rd.
"I feel like my game's good enough to be out here fulltime and kind of confirms that with the way I've been playing this week and last year here as well," he said.
“I feel like this is my home course. As soon as they put the schedule up, I sign up for this. I want to come back here.” BUBBA WATSON