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Bubba Watson returns to winner’s circle at 2018 Genesis Open

By Brandon Raper

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA - FEBRUARY 18: Bubba Watson poses with the trophy after winning the Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club on February 18, 2018 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PACIFIC PALISADES, CA - FEBRUARY 18: Bubba Watson poses with the trophy after winning the Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club on February 18, 2018 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Bubba Watson held on to win his third Genesis Open title at Riviera on Sunday. It was his first PGA TOUR victory in two years.

Bubba Watson is a crier. We’ve known this for years, but there was something a bit different about the tears we saw on Sunday afternoon. There, on the 18th green at Riviera Country Club, after winning the Genesis Open, these tears were a sign of something much bigger.

Part relief, part restoration.

Watson, who held off Kevin Na and Tony Finau for the victory, has had a long couple of years. Since his last victory – at this event in 2016 – he’s finished in the top ten on TOUR just six times. He switched to the Volvik ball (and left the contract quickly), missed 7 cuts in 2017, and fell from fourth in the world rankings all the way to 117th. At several points, he says, he even discussed retiring from golf altogether.

It’s a good thing he didn’t allow those doubts to take over. He’s joined the great Ben Hogan and Lloyd Mangrum as the only three-time winners here. And while they probably won’t call this “Watson’s Alley” anytime soon, this victory clearly means the world to him.

"“My goal has always been to get 10 wins. So many emotions going through my head right now,” Watson said. “You never know if you’re going to play good again. You never know if you’re going to lift the trophy.”"

He did both on Sunday, that’s for sure.

Can Bubba Watson be a threat at the Masters again?

This win couldn’t have come at a better time for the 39-year-old, either. With the Masters quickly approaching, Watson certainly has a renewed drive for his third green jacket.

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Sure, there’s still plenty of improvement he’ll need in his game if he’s going to tame Augusta National once again. But what we saw at Riviera was as much as we could have expected out of anybody.

Watson is still a bomber, but this week, it was his precision that led him to victory. He took a little off the driver, ranking just 21st in distance. Thanks to that slightly more conservative play, though, Watson was able to hit 32 of 56 fairways, including 19 of 28 over the weekend. That allowed Watson to be aggressive with his approach game, and he tied for seventh in the field in greens in regulation.

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Again, there’s plenty of golf left between now and the Masters, but Watson is a guy driven by energy and momentum. There’ll be time for all of that when it comes.

For now, Watson is back on top of his game. It looks like he’s having fun again – and that’s the way it absolutely should be.

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