Bubba Watson earned his second PGA Tour victory Sunday at the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play by defeating Kevin Kisner 7 & 6 in the championship match. Watson reached the semifinals his first year of the Match Play, but he never got beyond the fourth round in his next six appearances. Watson has three top 10s in his last four tournaments, including wins at the Genesis Open and here at the Match Play.
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“I wish I was hanging around for the weekend, but I’ll rest up and get a little bit of work in before going to Augusta”, McIlroy said. “I was so focused on golf, so focused on committing to the shots”. “Some of the shots I hit were pretty amusing”. “Physical strength, being healthy, is going to create the mind – you re going to have confidence”.
Watson dominated Kevin Kisner from the opening tee box en route to a lopsided 7 and 6 victory in the finals of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play on Sunday at Austin Country Club.
“I played good in the beginning”, Noren said. “And then I made some putts early”. And then you’ve got good Bubba.
“I keep advancing, so that’s the key”, Watson said before explaining how his equipment company had adjusted the loft of his putter.
After cruising through his group, Watson defeated reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year Justin Thomas, Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Brian Harman.
But the Swede was delighted with his performance overall during the week and feels good about his game ahead of only his second appearance at Augusta National.
Thomas admitted the chance to match Woods and Jordan Spieth as a world number one before age 25 weighed on him.
“Next time I won’t listen to other people. And that really sucked”, Thomas said.
“Yes, past year was the lowest point, I would have to say, gosh, one of my lowest points in my life”, Watson said.
The American arrived in Austin having played 24 matches in the event since his debut in 2011 and having won 14 and halved one. The only reason he didn’t lose all seven was because Watson missed a 4-foot birdie putt. But Kisner buried a 50-footer for eagle at the par-5 12th to square the match. That moment eventually came on the 12th hole after Watson birdied the par 5 for just his third birdie of the afternoon.
Noren was frustrated at missing a number of chances down the stretch in his semi-final tussle with Kisner, who advanced to the final with a birdie at the first extra hole. 13-15. Watson had 3 feet for birdie at No. 16 while Thomas was faced with a 22-footer. There is one more tournament he could play in this week, which he said he will make his decision about on Tuesday. “Every time I looked up, there was nowhere to look”, Kisner said. “But I need to be mentally stronger than that, and understand that it’s just a match”.
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Instead, he had to beat Kevin Kisner, a 1-up victor over Matt Kuchar, on Saturday afternoon. “He kept hitting it in there close”. Noren, who lost in a playoff at Torrey Pines and finished third at Honda, once again falls just short of his first PGA Tour win and will face Thomas in the consolation match.
