Bubba Watson wins Northern Trust Open for 2nd time in 3 years
If 2014 is any indication, Bubba Watson may have lined himself up nicely on Sunday for a third Masters title.
For the second time in three years, Watson won the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club, pulling out a one-shot victory over Jason Kokrak and 2013 Masters winner Adam Scott with a 15-under 269 total.
Dustin Johnson finished alone in fourth place at 13 under par.
Watson’s closing 3-under 68 earned him the win on a day in which Kokrak, Scott, K.J. Choi, Johnson and Chez Reavie all looked at times like they had a chance to emerge as the champion. The two-time Masters winner sealed the deal with two birdies in the final three holes. He birdied the par-3 16th after hitting his tee shot on the 165-yard hole to 5 feet. A hole later, he got home to the par-5 17th in two with a 2-iron from 252 yards, two-putting for the birdie that put him one ahead going into the last hole. Watson found the green in two with a flawless hole, and, when Kokrak failed to make a tying birdie, he cozied up for the clinching par.
Watson is now a nine-time PGA Tour winner and has the second-most wins on Tour since 2010. Rory McIlroy is the only player with more. Watson teased last year that he would retire if he won 10 times on the PGA Tour, something he walked back when he won the unofficial Hero World Challenge in December.
Two years ago, when Watson won his second Masters title, he won the Northern Trust Open earlier in the season. Were history to repeat itself in April at Augusta National, Watson would join an elite company of players to have won three green jackets.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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