Bubba Watson produces magic to snatch thriller in Shanghai
American holes a bunker-shot eagle on the 18th to force a play-off and then sinks a 20-foot putt to beat Tim Clark and win HSBC Champions
Bubba Watson captured his first World Golf Championship with a stunning turnaround on Sunday when he holed a bunker shot for an eagle on the 18th to get into a play-off, and then made a 20-foot birdie putt to beat Tim Clark and win the HSBC Champions.
The 10th edition of the HSBC Champions was the wildest one of them all.
Watson had a two-shot lead with three holes to play until he almost threw it all away. He missed the 16th green with a lob wedge and made bogey, and then took two shots to get out of a bunker on the par-three 17th and made double bogey to fall one shot behind a five-way lead.
Then it actually went in. So I didn't know how to react, and so I just kind of screamed and I lost my voice a little bit
The two-time Masters champion was fidgety and irritated at any movement, even stopping at the top of his swing from the bunker left of the green on the par-five 18th hole because of a camera click from the hospitality suite. But angst turned to joy when he blasted on to the green and watched the ball roll some 25 feet into the cup for eagle.
"You always joke about holing it," Watson said. "And then it actually went in. So I didn't know how to react, and so I just kind of screamed and I lost my voice a little bit. It was one of those shots - one-in-a-lifetime kind of shot."
He closed with two-under 70.
Clark was the only player from the five-way tie to join Watson at 11-under 277. He laid up on the 18th and hit wedge to five feet for birdie and a 69. In the play-off, his wedge was to the right edge of the green about 25 feet away. The putt was on line, but short.
