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Sony Open Recap: How eight of the PGA TOUR’s best fell short

By Bill Felber

HONOLULU, HI - JANUARY 12: Stewart Cink of the United States plays his shot from the 17th tee during the third round of the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 12, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
HONOLULU, HI - JANUARY 12: Stewart Cink of the United States plays his shot from the 17th tee during the third round of the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 12, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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HONOLULU, HI – JANUARY 11: Bubba Watson of the United States plays a shot from a bunker on the tenth hole during the second round of the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 11, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
HONOLULU, HI – JANUARY 11: Bubba Watson of the United States plays a shot from a bunker on the tenth hole during the second round of the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 11, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

Bubba can go from zero to 60 faster than just about anybody else on tour. His two Masters titles and dozen career victories prove that.

As his two Hawaii-based performances have demonstrated, he can also go from 60 to zero faster than anybody. The uncertainty of it all is what makes Bubba Watson such a fascinating player.

At Waialae, Watson came in as a favorite – that’s the way he rolls – shot back-to-back one-over 71s and missed the cut. A week earlier at Kapalua, he’d shot 70-79-74-69, making the cut only because no cut line existed in that 32-player field. He finished third from the bottom.

Since these were Watson’s first two starts of the 2019 season, it’s impossible to know whether these showings represent a trend or a Hawaiian vacation. So let’s deal with the numbers. At the Sony, Bubba spotted the field a fraction of a stroke per round off the tee – a very un-Bubba thing to do – and compounded his troubles with shoddy play around the greens.

He lost the better part of a stroke per round in his play around the greens, and another quarter of a stroke per round in the putting game. You don’t expect Bubba to kick butt on and around the greens, but a 1.1 stroke handicap there is a bit much for even Watson to overcome, particularly if he’s not driving well.

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