ACCC and Faulkner State Alumni Bubba Watson Wins Again
Faulkner State
1/31/11

Faulkner State Community College alumni Bubba Watson won his second PGA championship Sunday. Watson tempered his celebration when he rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole Sunday at Torrey Pines, knowing Phil Mickelson could still make eagle on the par-5 closing hole to catch him.

It played out just as Watson imagined, right down to Mickelson's caddie tending the pin on the eagle attempt.

There was just one twist -- Mickelson wasn't anywhere near the green.

The winner of the Farmers Insurance Open turned out to be Watson, who made clutch putts on the final two holes for a 5-under 67 and was sitting in the scoring trailer at the end, oblivious to how the final hole played out.

"Bubba played some terrific golf," Mickelson said. "I did what I thought would be enough, and it just wasn't. Bubba played too good. He made great shot after great shot, and made putt after putt. It was a wonderful round for him."

Watson hit such a monstrous drive on the par-5 13th that he had wedge left to the green on the 525-yard hole. But he won the tournament with his putter, especially on the last two holes.

With a one-shot lead over Vegas, and Mickelson lurking, Watson hit out of a fairway bunker and over the green on the 17th, and his chip raced 10 feet past the hole. After badly missing two birdies putts inside 10 feet, this one was pure.

Then came the 18th, where Watson blasted another tee shot and had a 7-iron into the green. He pushed that long and left, into a bunker and leaving himself another downhill shot. This came out ideally, leaving himself a 12-foot birdie putt that was true.

Then it was Mickelson's turn -- except that he already had taken it.

"I thought he was going for it," Watson said. "When I looked back down the fairway and I made the putt, I didn't want to get too excited because I thought it was him going for it. I didn't know he had already laid up."

Watson finished at 16-under 272 for his second victory, although this one came against a much stronger field than his playoff win at the Travelers Championship last summer.

"It showed I can do it," he said. "I've done it twice now. I'm only 50 behind Phil and about 80 behind Tiger. So they better watch out."