Bubba bounces back - Wins the WGC Champions Tournament

AND so the second event in the European Tour Final Series has been won by an American golfer who is not a member of the tour.

Bubba Watson won the HSBC WGC Champions event in Shanghai, a World Golf Championship event that doubles up as one of the Final Series.

At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, I want somebody to explain to me how a World Golf Championship field could possibly include a golfer called Brody Ninyette, an Australian ranked 949th in the world and who shot opening rounds of 86 and 90 before being disqualified. That is 32 over par. It is to be assumed that he was disqualified becaused they found out he wasn't a golfer!

I am all for giving people a chance, but this is meant to be a showpiece event. And that brings me to another question: how can a Final Series tournament (a European Tour Final Series event) also be a WGC tournament featuring a host of top American players? This really has to be sorted out by next season. It must be possible to sort out a series of tournaments that only feature European Tour members and, more particularly, those who have finished the regular season in the top 60 in the Race to Dubai.

Everything we have witnessed in the past couple of weeks demeans the value of the Final Series, from which Rory McIlroy has also been missing as he prepares for his impending court battle with his former agents.

On Thursday, Graeme McDowell talked about the great atmosphere at Sheshan International Golf Club, where the tournament was being played. It seemed an odd thing to hear, considering what crowds there were seemed to have little appreciation of what was going on in front of their eyes. At one point, McDowell holed a superb 15-foot putt to save par, and it was greeted in total silence.

Watson produced a magical finish to win, stealing the crown from under the noses of Martin Kaymer and McDowell.
Watson looked out of contention after he double bogeyed the par three 17th, but he holed a bunker shot for eagle on the last to sign for a two under par 70 and an 11 under total. South African Tim Clark matched that with a birdie at the 18th, but on the first hole of a play-off the two-time Masters champion holed a birdie putt from 20 feet to win his first WGC title.

McDowell led after each of the first three rounds at Sheshan International in Shanghai, but he endured a difficult day, and his one over par 73 left him one shy of the play-off in a share of third place, alongside Fowler (70) and Iwata (72).

The Northern Irishman had a chance to birdie the last, but his putt from 18 feet narrowly missed. Kaymer, the 2011 champion here, also needed to pick up a shot on the par five 18th, but from the middle of the fairway he hit his approach into the water beyond the green, and a double bogey seven dropped him down to joint sixth, along with Thobjørn Olesen and Ian Poulter, who both shot 71.

Watson was thrilled. “It’s always been one of my goals to win outside the US, so this means a lot. I messed up on 17 with the bunker shot and then hit a perfect bunker shot on 18 - it's weird. Clark was in there tight and had a chance to win, but I holed it before he putted. The Chinese know how to run a golf tournament.  This is a special place. HSBC, they put their stamp on it, they have run a great golf tournament and are a great sponsor for golf.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jXnjQ5-tiI

McDowell tried to put a brave face on it. “To be brutally honest, I didn't have my A-game all week," he said. " And to be in the situation I was in, leading all week, going into the last day, the golf course just got so difficult this weekend. The pins were evil at times and you really had to be on your iron play to have a chance to access them, and I didn't play well enough. The putter that was so hot early in the week kind of cooled off this weekend. But to finish tied third in this type of field, not playing my best, I have to count myself fairly fortunate. Of course I'd love to have made the play-off. I had a decent putt at the last but over?read it a bit.  I’m disappointed but I'll look back on it as a solid week."

Kaymer said: “The third shot came off very, very hot and flew the green, which is surprising for me. After nine holes I thought the winning score might be 14 under par. I missed chances on the front nine, but it was all about the last two holes and I didn’t play them well enough. But I can take a lot of positives out of the week. I played really well and I have another two or three big tournaments to go this year.”

Clark admitted that he had exceeded his own expectations. “I never expected to be in that position at the start of the week," he said. "I fought hard and I knew I needed to birdie that play-off hole, especially with him being able to reach in two. I'm pleased overall but I’m obviously disappointed to be that close. You probably play better when you're not expecting a whole lot. I just tried to play this course smart and in the end it was enough to give me a shout.”