No Overtime Needed as Watson Wins Travelers Championship

CROMWELL, CT — The third time was the charm for Bubba Watson at the Travelers Championship. The two-time previous champion of the event had claimed both of his titles in playoffs: in 2010 over Scott Verplank and Corey Pavin, and in 2015 over Paul Casey.

Entering Sunday's final round at the TPC River Highlands, Watson was 10-under par, six strokes behind third-round leader Casey. After parring each of the first four holes, Watson began making his charge with birdies on 5 and 6, but a bogey at 8 temporarily halted his charge.

Undeterred, he rebounded quickly with a birdie at 9, making the turn in 33, then birdied 10, 12 and 13 to move to 15-under, just a stroke behind Casey, heading into the short par-4 15th, which has both made and broken golfers in contention in the past.

The left-handed swinger pulled his tee shot into a greenside bunker, 83 feet from the hole, but managed an excellent shot out of the sand which stopped 11 feet from the cup. As his birdie putt dropped, moving him into a tie for the lead, he pumped his fist as the crowd roared.

Despite only making pars on 16 and 17, Watson assumed the outright lead as Casey, playing four groups behind, began to falter. The Englishman's troubles began when he hit his tee shot into the water on 13, needing to make a 10-foot putt to save par. He missed the green at 16, then failed to convert a 4-foot par putt, then hit his tee shot into the lake on 17 to drop to 14-under.

In the meantime, Watson blasted a 366-yard drive on the finishing hole, then dropped a wedge 30 inches from the cup for an easy birdie and a back nine of 30. His closing round 63 left him at 17-under par.

Veteran Stewart Cink, who won this event as a rookie in 1997 (as the Canon Greater Hartford Open) and again in 2008, posted the best round of the day by firing a 62. At one point, he was within one stroke of the lead in a bid to become the first player to win the tournament in three different decades, but settled for a four-way tie for second with Casey, J.B. Holmes and Beau Hossler.

Kevin Tway, Brian Harman and Russell Henley tied for sixth at -13, while Anirban Lahiri, Bryson DeChambeau and little-known Chase Seiffert, who won a qualifying tournament at Ellington Ridge Country Club Monday to gain entry into the event, finished 12-under. Seiffert shot a 64 Sunday.

Click here for complete results for all players.

Photo and video credits: Tim Jensen