Bubba Watson Gets Second Career Green Jacket
For the second time in three years, Bubba Watson slipped on the Green Jacket in the famed Butler Cabin as the champion of the Masters. Unlike two years ago, when he had to hit a miraculous shot out of the pine straw on the second playoff hole to beat Old Palm resident Louis Oosthuizen, Watson came down the final stretch with the tournament all but locked up.
Watson didn’t have the command that he did late early on in the final round of the season’s first major though. Watson entered the final round in a two way tie for the lead with 20 year old Jordan Speith and early on in the round lost the lead. Going into the eighth hole on Sunday, Speith held a two stroke lead and was looking to surpass Tiger Woods and become the youngest winner in Masters history.
Luck was not on Speith’s side however as the first time Masters participant bogeyed eight and nine to drop down to six under. While Speith bogeyed the closing two holes of the front nine, Watson recorded birdies on both to move to eight under. Those two holes turned out to be the difference in the tournament.
Watson held steady on the back nine, continuing to wow the patrons and tv viewers with his drives and creative shots, while Speith never really regained the momentum lost on those two holes. In the end, Watson would hold steady at 8 under to win by three shots over Speith and another newcomer in Jonas Blixt.
While it was the second Masters title for Watson, this one was a little more special for the Florida native. Two years ago when he won his first Green Jacket, him and his wife Angie had just completed the adoption of their son Caleb. Since the process was still ongoing, Angie and Caleb had to stay behind at their home in Orlando. This time, however, the two where there to watch Bubba capture his second career major.
The final leaderboard turned out to be an eclectic group of seasoned tour pros and younger golfers. In addition to the first timers in Speith and Blixt finishing runner up, the leader board had a name that most weren’t expecting to see. 50 year old Miguel Angel Jiminez who will be playing in his first Champions Tour event next week and is widely known as “The Most Interesting Man in Golf” shot a final round 71 to finish in fourth place, one shot back of Speith and Blixt and four shots behind Watson. Also recording top 10 finishes were Loxahatchee River resident Ricky Fowler (T5), Old Palm resident Lee Westwood (7), and Palm Beach Gardens resident Rory Mcllroy (T8).
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About Dan Hauser
As an avid golfer and sports enthusiast, Dan has had a passion for sports starting at a very young age. Dan’s other passion has always been writing. Since the time he could write, he has always enjoyed sharing information with people and telling stories through writing. In middle school he combined his two loves by joining the school newspaper in the sports department.