Bubba Watson, other state golfers struggle throughout duration of Masters

AUGUSTA -- It was a long week at Augusta National Golf Club for players with ties to universities in the state of Georgia.

Among those was former Georgia golfer Bubba Watson, the biggest name of the bunch, who struggled during the entire tournament. After making the cut on the number, Watson finished at 9-over-par 297 in his eighth Masters.

He played his best round of the week Sunday by shooting a 1-under 71. In the big picture, however, Watson was unhappy with how his tournament transpired.

"I've still got a whole year until the next one," Watson said. "I've got a lot of tournaments between now and then. I've got a lot of practicing to do. And hopefully next year, again, like I said, hopefully it's my year next year."

Watson found it tough to deal with the high wind speeds during the first three days of the Masters. He had 19 bogeys or worse in his first three rounds before recording just one bogey and two birdies in the final round.

This year's Masters was difficult for Watson, a two-time champion in 2012 and 2014. He nearly missed the cut Friday but ended up being No. 57 out of 57 players to make it to the weekend at 6 over thanks to a slide at the top of the leaderboard.

"I didn't perform at a high level," Watson said.

Former Georgia golfer Kevin Kisner posted his second round of even Sunday but could not overcome either of his sluggish first and third rounds. Kisner's Masters debut ended with a 9-over 297. Kisner birdied four times and eagled the par-5 13th. His day finished with two bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18.

Harris English, also a former Georgia golfer, had a rough final two rounds to end his Masters. Shooting a 4-over 76 on Sunday, English's tournament concluded at 11-over 299. English was only 3 over after the second round and seemed in a solid position before the weekend.

English, in his second Masters appearance, made the cut for the first time in his career but shot 8 over during the weekend.

Former Augusta University golfer Patrick Reed finished his third Masters at 12-over 300. His fourth round ended with four bogeys on the back nine.

Matt Kuchar, who played college golf at Georgia Tech, recovered nicely following a triple-bogey on No. 12 to end Sunday with a 2-over 74. Kuchar chipped in a birdie on No. 16, which was among the three birdies he had in his final six holes.

Kuchar's tournament ended at 6-over 294

Columbus native and former Yellow Jackets player Larry Mize finished his 33rd consecutive Masters appearance at 13-over 301. Mize, 57, followed a poor third round (6-over 78) by shooting a 2-over 74. Mize birdied two par-5s (Nos. 13 and 15) Sunday but posted four bogeys and a double-bogey on No. 16.

Mize, the 1987 Masters champion, was unhappy with his swing during the tournament and said it needs improvement moving forward.

"It will be a combination of disappointment, the way I've played mostly (Saturday)," Mize said. "I was disappointed. (Sunday) was OK. I didn't play great, but (Saturday) was disappointing the way I played. But overall, I don't know, I just always try and learn from my mistakes. I've got some issues with my swing that I'm starting to feel the problem better, which is a good start."

This story was originally published April 10, 2016 at 7:27 PM with the headline "Bubba Watson, other state golfers struggle throughout duration of Masters ."