Bubba Watson barely makes Masters cut, two other former Bulldogs join him
Bubba Watson played two of the worst rounds of his career at Augusta National Golf Club.
But his 6-over-par 150 was barely enough to make the cut on the number, with Jordan Spieth shooting a 2 over for the day to lead the Masters with a 4-under 140. Spieth began the day at 6 under and got to 8 under early in the round, with his slide allowing Watson to continue playing through the weekend.
Confident entering the tournament, Watson said there was no reason to feel like he put forth the kind of golf that transpired. But, with a hint of passive-aggression, Watson claimed there was no reason to worry about his game after the past two days.
"I was fourth in the world. I’m still fourth in the world. So yeah, I feel good," Watson said. "I don’t know if you’ve ever been fourth in the world. You have pretty good confidence. There are three guys better than you. Yeah, I feel every week I play I can win. Every week I play I can be very successful. This week, the golf course just beat me."
Watson followed a poor back nine performance Thursday with four bogeys in his first six holes Friday. Watson said he was dealing with a sinus infection and allergies, which combined with the wind, made things difficult during the two-day stretch.
In the first round, Watson shot a 3-under 29 on his first eight holes before collapsing down the stretch. He bogeyed Nos. 9, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 17 and posted a double-bogey on No. 16.
On Friday, the trend continued, with bogeys on Nos. 1, 4, 5, 6, 10 and 12. In total, Watson posted 13 bogeys or worse with just eight birdies.
When he spoke to reporters early Friday afternoon, he seemed to figure his tournament was done. Instead, after being No. 57 out of 57 to make the cut, he'll be back Saturday.
"It’s disappointing. I have to wait a year before attacking it again," Watson said after his round. "The golf course beat me this year. I've just got to improve and try to get better around this place. I hit the ball well. Just didn’t get the kicks or the bounces I needed to make the putts and make more birdies and less bogeys."
Watson, a former golfer at Georgia, will be joined by two other former Bulldogs during the next two days. Harris English shot a 1-over 73 to make the cut at 3 over. Kevin Kisner posted an even-par 72, tied for the second best score on Friday and is now at 5 over.
After bogeying both Nos. 11 and 12, English birdied No. 13 with the help of his 4-iron on his second shot. It was a calculated risk that paid off as English got the ball onto the green, and he two-putted for a birdie.
"On the par-5s, you’ve got to take chances. I’m sitting there with a 4-iron on (No.) 13, and I striped it to hit the middle of the green and two-putted to hit birdie," English said. "That’s what I was thinking. It’s very easy to miss the green there. I knew that wasn’t a very easy wedge shot. You just got to take on some shots on holes where you need to make birdie. You have to take advantage, you have to play aggressive."
Kisner, playing in the final group of the day, went 1 under on the back nine en route to his strong finish. His day did start a bit rough as mixed in with two birdies on Nos. 2 and 3 were two bogeys on Nos. 1 and 4 and a double-bogey on No. 5.
Kisner lamented the double-bogey on No. 5, stating that shot and a triple-bogey on No. 11 Thursday are why he's back in the pack.
"That’s really why I’m not in contention," Kisner said. "I made two silly mistakes, a triple and a double. If I just make par and bogey, I’m right there in striking distance. I’ve got to get out early and make some quick birdies and start getting the momentum going in the correct way."
The lone former Georgia golfer not to make the cut was Chris Kirk, who finished the first two days of the tournament at 9-over 153.
This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Bubba Watson barely makes Masters cut, two other former Bulldogs join him."