Nothing is ever elementary for the gentleman known as Bubba Watson; or, for that matter, for Rory McIlroy, the world number one. Indeed, on the PGA Tour these days, nothing appears elementary for anyone as the final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship continued a trend of players seemingly failing to claim a title when within their grasp.
JB Holmes had shot an opening 62 and started the day with a five-shot lead but was left as the vanquished. Watson started the final round five strokes behind but had moved into a two-shot lead by the turn and was also left with regrets.
In the end, one man managed to be the last one standing. It was all so elementary for Mr Johnson.
Complete rehabilitation
Dustin Johnson
, who took a six-months hiatus from the sport due to personal issues which he says were alcohol related, signalled his complete rehabilitation with a final round 69 for 279, nine-under-par, that gave him a one shot winning margin over Holmes.
A month on from his return to the tour, Johnson – with four birdies and a bogey on his card, but critically no dropped shots following his only bogey at the seventh – claimed a second career WGC title but arguably the sweetest victory of his career.
“It was a tough road, just awesome to get that W,” said Johnson. “I knew there was something missing that could make me great and I have been working hard on it all.”
For McIlroy and Shane Lowry, the 18th hole – one of the toughest on tour – proved to be a sting in the tail. Not once but twice, McIlroy contrived to put balls into the lake, the first off the tee and the second with his approach after which he sought to see the funny side by pretending to toss his club into the water. That he chipped in to rescue a double-bogey six for a closing 72, for one-under-par 287, in tied-ninth was small consolation.
In Lowry’s case, the finish to his round was arguably harder to take. A birdie on the 16th, his first of the day, moved the Offalyman into the top-10 but a bogey-bogey finish, missing a short putt on the 18th, left Lowry signing for a closing 74 for tied-17th on 289. Those two late bogeys cost him approximately $66,000 in tour earnings.
On a day when the wind blew havoc the way of many players, McIlroy’s time on the range started with joviality as he was reunited with his 3-iron after it was retrieved from its watery grave by the eighth hole by a scuba diver.
“Is it dry?” he had asked billionaire Donald Trump on being presented with the club, which was put in his bag only to be returned to the owner afterwards to be framed and mounted in aid of charity.
There was little or no charity on the course, though. McIlroy had moved upwardly with some intent around the turn with four birdies in five holes only to succumb to some loose play and a tough course coming in to finish in tied-ninth.
“My game’s just not quite there, just not quite 100 per cent,” admitted McIlroy, who has a week off – with scheduled practice rounds in Augusta – before next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill which will serve as his final tournament before the Masters.
The main concern, as McIlroy confessed after his round, was “my inability to hit the ball right-to-left. It isn’t something that you want going into Augusta. It’s something I want to try and work on.”
Final round
Lowry, who had used his putter so well in Saturday’s third round, was never as comfortable in the final round. He battled hard, but to little avail and his only birdie came on the driveable Par four 16th where he two-putted from 45 feet for a birdie. It briefly lifted him into tied-ninth. But the putter betrayed him twice, on the 17th green and again on the 18th, as he finished with two bogeys.
“It’s hard to take, very tough,” said Lowry of his finish, “but, listen, I played well all week. It’s another few quid towards my tour card over here and it’s a few quid on the Order of Merit in Europe, as well as a few world ranking points. A top-20 finish. I’ve played well enough to give myself a chance to win the tournament for three days and, if I keep doing that, I’ll eventually give myself a chance to win one of these.”
Lowry, like McIlroy, will have a week off before returning to action in the Bay Hill tournament as he prepares for a run-in to a maiden appearance in the Masters.
