Bubba Watson looks to be running into form at just the right time for a tilt at a third Masters’ title, judging by his dominant display in the WGC-Dell Match Play in Texas.
The 39-year-old left-hander stamped his name emphatically on the list of players capable of winning at Augusta after beating a succession of higher-ranked players at Austin Country Club, before ending with his easiest match, a one-sided 7&6 victory over fellow American Kevin Kisner.
The result was not in doubt after Watson won six of the first seven holes against a weary Kisner, en route to his second victory of the season, and the 11th of his career.
Watson, who was the 35th seed, said mental focus, not always his strong point, had been the key to his victory. “To win you have to stay focused, stay committed to what you’re doing, and keep battling until they say you’ve won,” he said at the trophy presentation. “I got off to a hot start, and just focused on committing to the shots. There were only about four or five shots during the week where I wasn’t committed – that’s pretty good over a hundred and something holes.”
Kisner, the 32nd seed, seemed to run out of steam after beating Alex Noren at the 19th hole of the morning semi-final, while Watson had time for a relaxed lunch after beating second seed Justin Thomas 3&2 in the other semi-final. After playing brilliantly for much of the week, Thomas was slightly off his game against Watson, hitting a succession of poor shots by his own high standards. The result cost Thomas the world number one ranking, which Dustin Johnson continues to hold despite his early exit from the tournament. Noren had the consolation of winning third place, after beating Thomas 5&3 in the match for losing semi-finalists.
Despite Watson’s victory at the Genesis Open in February, the dual Masters champions has remained out of the spotlight in recent weeks, but the man who won the Masters in 2012 and 2014 will not be able to slip under the radar now that his game is back in gear after last year’s loss of form.
“Last year was a really low point in my life mentally and physically,” said Watson, who is now 21st in the world rankings. “But and a couple of wins later it cheers you up and makes you feel a lot better. I’m 39 now, but I’m still just a kid playing golf and having fun with it. Somehow I keep getting trophies and I don’t know how. It’s just a dream.”
Other stories from the week included an early departure by McIlroy, who seemed a little flat following his win at the previous week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. The 28 year old suffered losses in two of his three round robin matches to ensure an early exit, and now turns his attentions to his preparations for the Masters in 10 days’ time.
One player who won’t be at Augusta is Ian Poulter, who needed to win his quarter-final match against Kevin Kisner in order to break into the world’s top 50 and gain automatic qualification for the Masters. But after enjoying serene progress through the early stages and a comfortable win over Louis Oosthuizen in the last 16 round, he then suffered a heavy 8&6 loss to Kisner to bow out, and miss out on a chance of teeing it up in his 13th Masters. Poulter is just 0.03 points behind Korea’s Si Woo Kim in the world rankings, with his defeat leaving him marooned in 51st place.