Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson fired an eight-under 62 on Thursday to seize a two-stroke lead after the opening round of the Travelers Championship.
The 36-year-old American fired nine birdies in all, including four on the final five holes, the last coming on 18 after a 139-yard second shot that bounced into the flagstick and stopped just beyond the cup.
“It was about playing steady,” Watson said. “It was about being consistent. It was about hitting the driver somewhat in play, hitting the wedges somewhat close and then making the putts, and that’s what I did.”
Watson is seeking his eighth career PGA Tour triumph on the same TPC River Highlands course where he won his first in 2010 and produced two other top-10 showings.
It would be his second title of the season, having won the World Golf Championships HSBC Champions event in China in November last year.
Watson matched the low round of his career to grab the advantage, with fellow Americans Keegan Bradley, Harris English, Jason Gore and Brian Stuard and South Korea’s Noh Seung-yul sharing second on 64.
Birdies at the third, sixth, seven and ninth holes left Watson four-under at the turn.
He birdied the 12th, 14th and 15th, before taking his lone bogey at 16, but answered by closing with his third set of back-to-back birdies of the day.
“They were all good,” he said.
Watson took advantage of the benign conditions compared with last week’s difficult terrain at the US Open at Chambers Bay, where Jordan Spieth added his second major title after collecting the Masters green jacket in April.
“Coming off last week, you can score around here, you can hit some good shots,” Watson said. “You still have to play golf, but it’s more relaxed and you still feel like you can score around here.”
Watson’s playing partner Zach Johnson fired a 65 to share seventh along with fellow Americans Scott Langley, Chris Stroud, Robert Garrigus, Tom Gillis, Scott Brown and Will MacKenzie, as well as Sweden’s Carl Pettersson.
Taiwan’s Pan Cheng-tsung carded a 67 for a share of 27th place.
Watson has turned only one of four prior 18-hole leads into a victory, in 2011 in New Orleans. It was his first lead after the opening round since last year’s Phoenix Open.
First-round leaders have won the Travelers Championship four times, the most recent being Kenny Perry of the US in 2009.
Noh birdied his first four holes on the way to his lowest round since a 62 in the first round of the 2012 Deutsche Bank Championship.
The South Korean missed three cuts and withdrew from a title defense in New Orleans, before sharing third in Memphis earlier this month for his lone top-10 effort of the season.
Additional reporting by staff writer
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just