Bubba Watson closed with a pair of 64s to win the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club in California by two shots over fellow American Dustin Johnson.
Watson played the final 39 holes without a bogey, completed the weekend's golf in 14-under-par and finished the week on 15-under-par to record his first PGA Tour victory since the U.S. Masters of 2012.
"You never know when your last win is going to be," he said. "Mine could have been The Masters and that would have been a great way to go out. But winning here is nice. You just keep plugging along and somehow, today it fell in my lap."
Not that the left-hander was gifted the title. He began the final round four shots behind William McGirt, but he quickly made up the deficit and held the lead after nine holes, having raced to the turn in just 30 strokes.
He held on well through the back nine with par saves at the 12th and 13th holes, and a great recovering bunker shot on the 15th. Dustin Johnson had a chance to apply pressure but missed birdie chances on the last three greens.
"I was right there and that's all you can ask for," he said. "14-under-par on the weekend is tough to beat."
Jason Allred, who tied for third, picked up the biggest cheque of his professional career. A Monday qualifier, Allred hadn't played a PGA Tour event since losing his card in 2008. He is now exempt into the Honda Classic in two weeks time.
South Africa's Charl Schwartzel finished in fifth spot and will take confidence from that as the top players head to Arizona next week for the WGC-Accenture Match Play.
Northern Trust Open Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California Feb 13-16, purse $6,700,000, par 71
1 Bubba Watson (USA) 70 71 64 64 269 $1,206,000 2 Dustin Johnson (USA) 66 70 69 66 271 $723,600 T3 Jason Allred (USA) 73 64 67 68 272 $388,600 T3 Brian Harman (USA) 67 69 68 68 272 $388,600 5 Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 69 68 68 68 273 $268,000 T6 Matt Every (USA) 69 69 69 67 274 $216,913 T6 William McGirt (USA) 69 67 65 73 274 $216,913 T6 George McNeill (USA) 69 68 66 71 274 $216,913 T6 Bryce Molder (USA) 69 69 69 67 274 $216,913 T10 Harris English (USA) 70 69 69 67 275 $174,200 T10 Bendan Steele (USA) 68 71 67 69 275 $174,200
Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage
Where next? European Tour - Thomas Aiken wins Africa Open
-
Quiz! Can You Name The 13 Golfers Who Made The Cut In All Four Men's Majors in 2024?Two of them won Majors; one did not ever finish inside the top 25 and another's average finishing position was 48th – can you name them and the other nine?
-
'I Grew Up Missing Every Green On The Planet... So It Became A Necessity To Become Good At Chipping' – 5 Expert Short Game Tips From The 2018 Masters ChampionPatrick Reed is renowned for being one of the best short game players of his era, with his silky touch around the green helping him to win a first Green Jacket
-
Louis Oosthuizen What's In The Bag?Take a look at what clubs the former Champion Golfer of the Year is currently using.
-
Rory McIlroy Gym Routine... Revealed!In this Rory McIlroy Gym Routine article we discover how the Northern Irishman keeps himself so fit
-
Who Is Bubba Watson’s Wife?Get to know Angie Watson, the wife of PGA Tour player, Bubba Watson
-
Who's Won At Whistling Straits Previously?Whistling Straits hosts the Ryder Cup in 2021, so we take a look at who else has won at the course.
-
Relive Dustin Johnson's Painful Moment At Whistling StraitsRelive Dustin Johnson's Painful Moment At Whistling Straits
-
20 Things You Didn’t Know About Rickie FowlerOne of the most popular players on the planet, take a look at these 20 facts you may not know about Fowler.
-
Who Is Si Woo Kim's Coach?Who Is Si Woo Kim's Coach? Meet Claude Harmon here.
-
16 Things You Didn't Know About Mike WeirLearn more about 2003 Masters winner Mike Weir with these facts.
