Watson ties course record and takes 2-shot lead in Bahamas

Bubba Watson of the United States watches his second shot on the tenth hole during the third round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany, The Bahamas, on Saturday.

The 28-year-old player from Bengaluru then kept going even-par for the next eight holes from fifth to the 12th before hitting another bogey in the 13th.

‘It’s a season that, for me, I now put those kind of expectations on myself each season and whether that’s fair or not it doesn’t matter to me, I’m still going to work as hard as I can to try to achieve the same kind of year we had this year, because it certainly was fun’. I don’t get so caught up in bad swings or bad thoughts. But Lahiri was left to introspect after his putts didn’t drop en route to a 73 that included three bogeys. “But I guess it just crept forward that extra 2 feet”. “It resulted in a bogey”, said Lahiri in a release.

“It resulted in a bogey”, said Lahiri, who hit birdies on the 14th and 15th holes though bogeys on the 13th and 17th nullified thoughts of a comeback.

In the field as an alternate after Australian Jason Day withdrew, Watson is in prime position to win. Wrapping up his worldwide tour, Reed ran off three straight birdies and then had an eagle on the par-5 15th to get back in the game. He had seven other birdies, including on first and second and another on sixth, at which stage he was five-under through six holes.

PGA EUROPEAN: Sweden’s Henrik Stenson had five back-nine birdies in a 5-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead in the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

Speaking after his penultimate round, Watson said: “As we’re seeing, when there’s no wind – light wind – we can score”.

Watson, twice the US Masters champion, had not planned to play, turning down his invitation a few months ago because he didn’t have a passport for his newly adopted daughter, Dakota. We are all top-50 players in the world.

He added: “But with no wind, this golf course is a little bit easier to make birdies”. “Obviously, 20 mile-an-hour winds, this golf course becomes a beast”.

Staked to a two-shot lead going into the final round, Watson made four birdies in seven holes and was never seriously challenged.

However, Spieth doesn’t seem to lack confidence and said at some point he may find something he can improve on, per DiMeglio: “When I’ve done some thinking about it, which is not much as of now, that’s more of what December’s for, to re-evaluate and set new goals”. When there’s conditions like this you have a chance to shoot low so it’s not really about if are you in the zone or anything.