Justin Rose placed the blame for his final-round collapse at the Travelers Championship squarely on his putting as Bubba Watson claimed his maiden PGA Tour victory in Connecticut.
Rose, 29, saw his hopes of a second title in the United States this month slide away after a disaster of final round at TPC River Highlands near Hartford as American left-hander Watson won at the second hole of a sudden-death play-off from US Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank.
Rose, who won his first tournament in the US at the Memorial on June 6th, had taken a three-shot lead over Ben Curtis into the last day after rounds of 64, 62 and 68.
But the Englishman left the par-70 course on Sunday with a closing 75 on his card having fallen into a tie for ninth place, having completed the back nine of his final round with one birdie, three bogeys and one double bogey.
“It’s hard to play golf when you feel like you’re going to miss every putt from two feet,” Rose said. “I was just that uncomfortable on the greens all day.
“My golf game felt there or thereabouts, but just felt really uncomfortable on the greens. It’s hard to play.
“I had a lot of chances early maybe, but I don’t know, just felt uncomfortable and when that’s the case, it’s just hard to get out there and get after it, but I tried to stay in the moment as best I could all day, but yeah, hard one.”
It was an all-American play-off after Verplank had posted a final-round, six-under-par 64 while Watson and Pavin each posted 66s to all finish on 14 under, with compatriot Chris Riley’s 65 getting him to 13 under for fourth place.
Off the 18th tee at the first play-off hole, Pavin, the shortest driver of the ball on the Tour and Watson, the longest, were 102 yards apart and Pavin, 229 from the hole after taking a three wood off the tee, sent his approach into a bunker below the green.
Verplank, between them, sent his ball to around eight feet but Watson dialled in his pitching wedge to put the ball inches from the hole.
He tapped in, Pavin bowed out after failing to hole out from the bunker, leaving Verplank to hole his birdie putt to extend the play-off.
At the par-three 16th, Watson held his nerve for par after Verplank missed his par putt before dissolving into tears.
There were distinctly different emotions for Rose. After his third bogey of the day at the 12th, he rebounded at 13 with a birdie but then found himself back in trouble at the short par-four 15th when his three-wood off the tee found water on the way to a double bogey.
Watson had temporarily lost his share of the lead with a double bogey at 17 but birdied the last to make it a three-way tie, leaving Rose needing two birdies from his final three holes to make it a four-way play-off.
Instead, the 29-year-old met with further disaster at the par-three 16th as he rolled a two-foot par putt past the hole and took bogey to slip to 11 under before grimly parring the final two holes.
“You know at 16 I still felt I could birdie the last three, hit some good iron shots,” Rose said. “Just that was the easy part. Getting in the hole seemed impossible today.
“And that’s just what I need to work on. My putting is hot and cold. I can putt great, the feel can leave me.
“Just getting up to it I just didn’t feel like I had a chance to go in, and I was battling that all day. I tried as best as I could but I was horrible on the greens today.”
Ireland’s Pádraig Harrington had made a late run from 10 shots off the lead and was seven under for his round until a bogey at the 16th checked his progress.
The three-time major winner carded a 64 to finish at 12 under in a tie for fifth place with Retief Goosen of South Africa (67) and Americans Ricky Barnes (68) and Chad Campbell (66).
Like his playing partner Rose, former Open champion Curtis also had a day to forget, his final-round 73 dropping him to 10 under and a tie for 13th.