November 10, 2014 –Two moments of magic on Sheshan International’s 18th hole saw Bubba Watson win the WGC-HSBC Champions after a play-off with Tim Clark on a dramatic final day in Shanghai.

Ping staff player was two shots clear with three holes to play, only to bogey the 16th and run up a double bogey on the 17th after failing to escape a greenside bunker at the first attempt. That dropped the Masters Tournament champion one shot behind playing partners Clark and Rickie Fowler, as well as the final group of Graeme McDowell, Hiroshi Iwata and Martin Kaymer.

Clark looked in pole position when he hit his third shot to the par five 18th to four feet and saw Fowler find the water and Watson a greenside bunker. However, Watson then amazingly holed his bunker shot for an eagle and Clark’s birdie was only good enough to leave the pair tied on 11 under, with the final group needing to birdie the last to join the play-off.

Clark and Watson returned to the 18th for the play-off and Watson found the same greenside bunker with his second shot after Clarke had hit his third to around 20 feet. Watson was unable to repeat his heroics from the sand but after Clark had left his birdie attempt short, the left-hander holed his birdie putt to seal victory.

“For me this is the big one,”Bubba Watson said after his third win in 2014. “It’s very big because I always wanted to win outside the US. It’s my seventh win, gets me closer to ten wins which has always been my goal. It’s a World Golf Championship, so when you add it all up it means a lot.”

Speaking about the 72nd hole, the 36 year old added: “It was such a tough bunker shot you are not really thinking about making it, but I told my caddie it’s been a wild day, a wild couple of holes, but if we can make this it changes everything and it went in like a putt. Clark was like ‘Why would you do that?!’

“In the play-off, it was funny because the bunker shot I holed was on the same line (as the putt) so we knew the line, we knew it was fast. I was trying to two-putt and it just fell in.”

What’s in Buba’s golf bag?

• Driver: Ping G30 (9º, Grafalloy Bi-Matrix Rocket Pink X)
• Fairway wood: Ping G25 3w (16.5º, Fujikura Motore Speeder Tour Spec 8.2 X)
• Irons: Ping S55 (3-PW, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100)
• Wedges: Ping Prototype SS (52º and 56º); Ping Prototype TS (60º) (True Temper Dynamic Gold X100)
• Putter: Ping Anser 1 Milled
• Ball: Titleist Pro V1x (Prototype)
• Glove: Ping Sensor Sport
• Footwear: Oakley Carbon Pro 2.0

Pictures: WGC-HSBC.

Por REDACCIÓN