Watson wins Travelers Championship in 2-hole playoff
Bubba Watson won the Travelers Championship at TPC Rivers Highlands on Sunday in a two-hole playoff against Paul Casey.
The victory is Watson's second at TPC River Highlands, and he becomes the seventh golfer to win the tournament more than once.
The American solidified the victory by birdieing the second playoff hole, played on the par-4 18th. The 36-year-old went 3-under 67 in the final round and finished the tournament 16-under.
Casey dropped birdies on the final three holes of the round to finish 5-under 65 on the day and 16-under overall. The Englishman entered the clubhouse to anxiously watch Watson and Graham DeLaet, who were 16- and 15-under, respectively, going into 18.
Although Watson was the solo leader throughout the final round, he slipped on 17, dropping his first bogey of the round.
From 157 yards out on 18, the American steered just left of the green. He dropped an up-and-down par to force a playoff with his English opponent.
The two golfers went back to the 18th tee box to open the sudden death playoff. Casey's drive found the center of the fairway, while Watson nestled in the gallery.
On their second attempts, however, Casey - who was in a good position to lay up on the green - got caught in the greenside trap, while Watson's shot out of the rough landed within striking distance of the pin.
Both golfers parred to extend the playoff, retreating back to the 18th tee.
On the second playoff hole, The Florida native hit center fairway, in great position to stick the green. Casey, unfortunately went bunker-to-bunker on his second shot. Watson proceeded to find the green to take the championship from Casey, who continued to botch his scrambles and overshoot.
Watson birdied the hole to win the eighth title of his career.
Shot of the Day
Casey's ridiculous second shot on Hole 3 earns Shot of the Day honors. The one-hopper instantly brought him into contention for the rest of the round.
Leaderboard
| Pos. | Player | To Par | Strokes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bubba Watson | -16 | 264 |
| 2 | Paul Casey | -16 | 264 |
| 3 | Brian Harman | -15 | 265 |
| 4 | Graham DeLaet | -14 | 266 |
| 5 | Carl Pettersson | -13 | 267 |
View the full leaderboard here.
Notables
DeLaet, Brian Harman, Carl Pettersson and Luke Donald all qualified for the British Open after their respective finishes.
| Pos. | Player | To Par | Strokes |
|---|---|---|---|
| T7 | Luke Donald | -11 | 269 |
| T10 | Brandt Snedeker | -10 | 270 |
| T20 | David Toms | -8 | 272 |
| T25 | Tony Finau | -7 | 273 |
| T25 | Francesco Molinari | -7 | 273 |