In the end Bubba Watson led from the get go and eventually won this Zurich Classic in New Orleans, but it involved a crucial a 1 shot penalty called on himself by co-leader Webb Simpson.
The story from pgatour.com to follow but folks Bubba is not your typical PGA tour pro. He has the most wide open stance I have ever seen a top pro succeed with, he hits every shot in the book naturally, he hits it as far as anybody playing golf for a living, and he is an emotional wreck !!
Much was made about his mum asking him to play so she could fly down from Pensacola to watch.... like he was some 10 year old kid, I mean it's nice but he is supposed to be a grown man. He breaks down and cries at the slightest provocation, yet blows up into terrible temper tantrums at the slightest adversity..
His wife, obviously more mature has been schooling him..
"She told me that I'm playing golf for a living, it's a dream come true and ... I've got to act differently," Watson said. "If I'm going to support kids and do charity work, (getting angry on the course) is not a good example."
He was asked after the round what the win meant to him.."Nothing, absolutely nothing, this coming week I'm hosting a Nationwide event to raise some money for charity, and that's what I'm here for, that's what it's all about"
Not your usual reply from a PGA tour winner, but as I said Bubba might be the best American player in golf, but he is not your usual PGA tour pro...
pgatour.com Watson overcame a three-stroke deficit over the final eight holes of regulation and beat Webb Simpson in a playoff Sunday in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for his second PGA TOUR victory of the year and third of his career.
"My wife, my caddie and my trainer would say my attitude's in the right spot," Watson said. "This week, I won (by) not getting down on bad shots, just staying focused on what I'm supposed to be doing."
He also had a little luck.
It came in the form of a bad break for Simpson, who remained winless on the PGA TOUR and was left to wonder what might have been if not for an unusual one-stroke penalty on 15 when his ball moved as he was addressing it on the green, less than a foot from the hole.
"I better limit my comments on that rule, because I think it's such a bad rule," said Simpson, who seemed to think windy conditions, combined with relatively dry, hard greens, caused the ball to move. "When the wind or other natural things affect the golf ball, the player shouldn't be penalized. ... It was just unfortunate, but Bubba deserves a win, and I'm pretty happy for him."
Watson, also the winner in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in late January, matched Simpson with a 3-under 69 to finish at 15-under 273 at TPC Louisiana. Both players birdied the 18th on the first extra hole, with Watson making a 12-foot putt to force the second playoff.
Watson opened the final playoff hole with a 329-yard drive that narrowly stayed out of the water and landed in a fairway bunker. He hit his second shot -- a 7-iron -- 210 yards to the green on the 568-yard, par-5 18th.
Simpson's second shot landed in a bunker short of the green, near the lip, and he blasted out to 12 feet.
After Simpson narrowly missed his birdie putt, Watson made a 3-foot birdie putt for the victory, which earned him $1,152,000 and moved him up from No. 16 to No. 10 in the world.
K.J. Choi, the 2002 Zurich winner, shot a 69 to tie for third at 13 under with Jason Dufner (66) and Tommy Gainey (69). Choi was 14 under after 16 holes, but three-putted for a bogey on the par-3 17th and narrowly missed a birdie putt on 18.
After Watson made his tournament-clinching putt, he hugged his mother, Molly, and wife Angie.
His mother, who did not attend his previous two wins, asked him to play in the suburban New Orleans tournament so she could so she could drive to from her Pensacola, Fla., area home to watch him.
"I want to ask mom where else I should play," said Watson, who had or shared the lead at the end of every round at the Pete Dye-designed TPC Louisiana course. "Hopefully, it means a lot to her that she got to sweat and cry and do everything that I did and all my emotions that went through 18 holes and the two extra holes."
His wife, meanwhile, has been telling him for a while to work on his composure on the course.
"She told me that I'm playing golf for a living, it's a dream come true and ... I've got to act differently," Watson said. "If I'm going to support kids and do charity work, (getting angry on the course) is not a good example."
Watson, who considers Simpson a good friend, called the penalty, "heartbreaking."
"If I didn't win, he would have been a nice guy to have win," Watson added. "We went to a playoff, so obviously one shot is the difference. ... It's a sad way to win, but I won."
David Hearn struggled to a +4 76, but all in all has some good thoughts to take away from a week where he was T4 at one point and yet another top 10 for Luke Donald 69, who finished T8
My Featured group
T8 8 2 Luke Donald -10 F -3 info 68 71 70 69 278
T46 30 106 David Hearn -3 F 4 info 71 68 70 76 285
CUT 110 Stephen Ames 73 75 148
CUT 243 Chris Baryla 77 85 162
CUT 221 Matt McQuillan 78 77 155
CUT 50 Graeme McDowell 73 75 148
Top 10 leaderboard
1 1 Bubba Watson -15 F -3 color info 66 68 70 69 273
2 1 10 Webb Simpson -15 F -3 color info 68 69 67 69 273
T3 13 22 Jason Dufner -13 F -6 color info 68 69 72 66 275
T3 1 23 Tommy Gainey -13 F -3 color info 67 71 68 69 275
T3 1 29 K.J. Choi -13 F -3 color info 68 71 67 69 275
T6 2 99 Matt Jones -12 F -2 color info 66 71 69 70 276
T6 2 115 George McNeill -12 F -2 color info 71 70 65 70 276
T8 18 89 Billy Mayfair -10 F -5 color info 69 70 72 67 278
T8 13 123 David Mathis -10 F -4 color info 70 68 72 68 278
T8 13 150 Andres Romero -10 F -4 color info 72 71 67 68 278
T8 8 2 Luke Donald -10 F -3 color info 68 71 70 69 278
T8 3 83 Greg Chalmers -10 F -2 color info 72 69 67 70 278
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
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