Bubba Watson win NTO by one stroke

Bubba Watson saved par from near a concession stand to the right and down the hill from the 18th green Saturday at Riviera and shot a 4-under 67 to build a one-shot lead in the Northern Trust Open.

Navigating the final 18 holes against a strong pack of contenders might be tougher than traffic on the 405.

LOS ANGELES – When Rory McIlroy opened with an eagle to grab a share of the lead during Sunday’s final round of the Northern Trust Open, it felt like he was going to make a serious run at a 12th career PGA Tour title.

“I’m glad I played this year and I’ll definitely be back”, he added, as he turns his attention to the Honda Classic.

Scott found a waste area off the tee and his approach then flew over the green before he three-putted from 35-feet for a double bogey.

“The more I put myself in this position, the more comfortable I’ll be and I’ll look forward to it. I enjoyed myself today”. We won’t go another 10.

10th hole at Riviera: I love it. I know some people think it’s hokey or silly, but I absolutely love it. As a par 4, it was playing 303 yards on Sunday and nobody had a clue how to play it. Heck, nobody had a clue all week.

If Kokrak had made a birdie on the final hole or if Watson had bogeyed the final hole, there would have been a playoff. So one of those lucky birdies that fell in for me. Scott chipped in on the 18th hole – if the ball hadn’t hit the pin it might have rolled to a stop at Will Rogers State Park – and he was astounded at the roar.

That tied him for the lead long enough for Watson to make birdie on the 17th.

“There are encouraging signs”, McIlroy said. “It would be nice to hear something like that again tomorrow”.

Another player who has shown great strides with his putting is Scott, who finished second at Riviera behind Watson. Adam Scott is a star. They are going to have to kick me off Augusta. “It’s not that brutal hard and fast stuff where your slight miss is really punished and you can’t get it up-and-down”. He received a text Sunday from National Basketball Association superstar Stephen Curry, offering shooting tips to Watson’s son. He was able to clip the ball perfectly, and it checked up just 3 feet above the hole.

Still stung by what happened in Phoenix where he was booed and heckled by spectators in the second round, Watson referred to the experience unprompted a few times during a lengthy news conference after his victory at Riviera, a result that lifted him to fourth in the world rankings.

“Five years ago (the doctor) said there was one more in my system and obviously it decided this week”, he told reporters.

NOMURA TAKES FIRST TITLE: Japan’s Haru Nomura won the Women’s Australian Open in Adelaide, for her first LPGA Tour title, closing with a 7-under 65 for a three-stroke victory.

Leading contenders Lydia Ko and Karrie Webb were just one stroke off the lead at The Grange’s West course. But despite the pressure, the 34-year-old hung in there to record his first top-ten finish in four years.

South Korean Sung Kang capped an eventful two weeks with a final round of 69 to finish tied for eighth. Marc Leishman of Australia, one shot behind for much of the back nine, failed to save par from a bunker on the 16th and closed with a 69 to join Choi three shots behind.