Bubba Watson ends drought with third Genesis Open title
Bubba Watson outlasted a packed leaderboard to claim his third Genesis Open crown and end his wait for silverware.
Two-time Masters champion Watson triumphed by two strokes for his first PGA Tour tournament victory since winning this event in 2016.
Watson – who fell outside the top 100 in the world rankings last year – carded a two-under-par 69 to finish ahead of fellow Americans Kevin Na and Tony Finau at the Riviera Country Club on Sunday.
The 39-year-old birdied three of his last eight holes to gain an edge after slipping into a tie for the lead heading into the back nine.
Make it three!
Congrats to @BubbaWatson on his @GenesisOpen victory. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/O2aeq0Ejbv
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 18, 2018
Watson – who reached 12 under overall – entered 2017 ranked ninth in the world, but was just 115th heading into the week.
Na and Finau tied for second at 10 under. Both players shot final-round 69s.
Finau now has three top-six finishes already this season, including two runner-up placings.
Scott Stallings (68) and Patrick Cantlay (71) were three shots adrift of Watson at the end of the tournament.
Three-time major champion Jordan Spieth posted a four-under-par 67 to earn a share of ninth position at seven under, alongside US PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas (70), reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Xander Schauffele (68), Martin Laird (68) and Ryan Moore (70).
World number one Dustin Johnson dropped to four under following his 73, only a stroke ahead of four-time major winner Rory McIlroy (68).
Tiger Woods grabbed the headlines to start the week, but the 14-time major champion missed the cut. He will play next week at the Honda Classic in Florida.
