Watney Snatches WGC Cadillac Championship.

Nick Watney had played the 18th hole at Doral, generally accepted as one of the toughest finishing holes anywhere, 17 times before today without carding a birdie. Despite having yanked his 3rd round drive on this hole into the drink, he laced today's drive dead center, stuck his approach to 12 feet and calmly nailed the putt, center cut. His 1st career birdie on 18 at Doral forced Dustin Johnson to hole out from the fairway to force a playoff. No such luck.   

Eight players were within two strokes of the lead today, but Watney was the one that didn't crack, hitting clutch shot after clutch shot. It wasn't just his 18th hole heroics that mattered. Back to back par saves on 14 and 15 of the 25 foot variety held off Johnson. Watney finished at -15 for the tourney with Johnson one behind. Full Field Final Scores.

The young guys blew away the old guard and showed the natural progression of things by placing Watney, Johnson, Francesco Molinari, Matt Kuchar, Luke Donald, Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler, and Hunter Mahan inside the top ten. Rory McIlroy ballooned to a 74 today, good for tenth, tied with Tiger Woods, whose 66 today tied for best round of the day. I'd place more credence in it's significance if he shot it while in contention. Of more concern might be Phil Mickelson's 76, knocking him down to 55th of 66 golfers. Something, or a combination of things, is up with Phil.

I'm starting to smell Masters' grass.  






Swing hard, look up,

Mick, Nick, Locked at Light Blue Monster

Four shots clear of the rest of the field, Phil Mickelson and Nick Watney hope for a match play type final round at the WGC-CA Championship at Doral. Watney's smooth 67 today, combined with Phil's 69 allowed Watney, the Buick Invitational winner, to make up the two shot deficit he had at today's start. Phil's grip and rip philosophy has turned out rather well so far, other than a few Captain Kirks, (Gone where no ball's gone before). Strangely Phil didn't chip in today which ended a streak running back to 1994. Birdies and eagles rendered the Blue Monster relatively defenseless, the leaders finishing at a hefty -16 under par. Mickelson overcame the lack of noticeable rough by bombing and wedging on just about any hole with length. Watney hit fairways and didn't make any huge errors. His putter responded and hence, a tie. Uber-coach, Butch Harmon, joined the NBC booth near the end of the round to point out that both leaders were from his stable. He never hesitated in mentioning that he thought Phil had many more shots in his arsenal than Tiger. At least Butch is consistent. He insists that any thought that pops into his head must dribble out of his mouth. Johnny Miller should have asked him if he thought Tiger would trade his trophy case for Phil's variety of shots.

Outsiders staring at taillights that have a shot if they post of great round then wait in the clubhouse include Jeev Milka Singh and Camilo Villegas at -12, four back, and a flock of five players knotted at -11. Young stalwart Rory McIlroy backed up to -10, six back, with his 72 today. Plenty of time for the young Irishman. It's a tribute to his skill that he's where he is at 19 years old.

What's with all the fuss over Bermuda greens? The announcers make it sound like you have to make a pact with the devil to understand their grain and subtle nuances. Haven't most of these guys played Bermuda many, many times? Is this the Tour's first year with a Florida swing? These guys in the booth have to realize that sometimes just saying nothing is the best move you can make. A little silence in a four hour telecast never killed anyone.




Til' next,

Watney Steals Buick Invitational From Rollins, Villegas

Grand theft, based on the purse size. Nick Watney's 18th hole birdie gave him the victory at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines. Watney squeezed out his win over 3rd round leader John Rollins. Rollins had a three shot advantage heading into today's final round play, but he ballooned to a final round 74. Watney's 68 left him at -11 for the tourney, followed by Rollins at -10, and Camilo Villegas, who despite being tied for the lead early in today's round, ended tied for third place with Lucas Glover at -9. Villegas carded a 72 for his final round. Young Australian Matt Jones fired a 64 today to leap from 36th to a tie for 5th place. For the record, Phil Mickelson finished in a tie for 42nd. An inauspicious start to Mickelson's year, especially at a course he favors.

Torrey Pines has been in the spotlight three times in the last year between the usual Buick tour stops and last year's US Open. It seems like I know the course as well as my local dog track. John Rollins yanked his 2nd shot on the par 5 18th into the left bunker and a nasty downhill lie with the green sloping to the water. That allowed Watney's birdie for the win. I found my eyes wandering to the front right of the green where Tiger Woods sunk his 72nd hole, playoff forcing putt against Rocco in last year's US Open.

With Buick dropping Tiger Woods and all of the automakers in the throes of a dramatic sales slide, it would appear that auto manufacturer sponsorship bucks will be tough to come by. Nevertheless, it seems that Hyundai alone was able to boast a sales increase in January. Woods in a Hyundai Accent? If that happens will things have really hit bottom?


Til' next,