Page 19 - Aruba Today
P. 19
SPORTS A19
Monday 22 February 2016
Watson birdie from about 40 feet. Bubba Watson tees off on the second hole in the fourth round of the Northern Trust Open golf tour-
Kokrak hooked his tee shot nament, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016, in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles.
Continued from Page 17 into the trees, hit his sec-
ond into a bunker and had Associated Press
In his Riviera debut, McIlroy to make a 6-foot par putt,
made eagle on the par-5 falling one week.
first hole to tie for the lead. Ahead of them, Scott
He didn’t make a birdie un- stayed alive with a 10-foot
til the 18th, giving him a 75 birdie putt on the 17th to
to tie for 20th. get within one shot, and
Watson, Scott, Kokrak and then the former Masters
K.J. Choi were tied for the champion chipped in from
lead through 11 holes re- 25 feet behind the green
maining and all of them on the 18th, the ball slam-
dropped shots to fall out of ming into the pin. That
the lead. momentarily put him in a
“For me to come back ... tie for the lead until Wat-
and pull one out in a tough son made his birdie on the
way means a lot,” Watson 17th. Once Watson hit his
said. approach to 15 feet, Scott
He finished at 15-under 269 knew his chances were
for his ninth career victory over.
on the PGA Tour. “A guy like Bubba, he’s
Kokrak had the lead to him- very tough to beat,” Scott
self when Choi made bo- said. “He’s proving tough
gey on No. 12, Scott missed to beat from that position.
5-foot par putts on the 14th He’s wearing the course
and 15th holes, and Wat- out on the toughest day.”
son went long of the 13th Kokrak had a putt from
hole and watched his 20- about the same distance
foot par putt spin out of the to tie for the lead, but the
cup. Kokrak was firing at ball slid by the left side of
dangerous flags and pull- the cup and he settled
ing off the shots, stretching for a 68. Two putts later,
his lead to two shots with a Watson was waving to the
daring approach to 4 feet crowd and headed to an-
on the 13th. other trophy presentation.
But one shot changed the What a week for Watson.
dynamics of the final hour. He took his 3-year-old son
From the middle of the 15th to hang out with Justin
fairway, Kokrak went long Bieber. He made a cam-
on one of the more diffi- eo appearance in a “Girl
cult greens at Riviera and Meets World” episode
badly missed an 8-foot par (they even gave him a
putt as his lead shrunk to line), and he dashed out
one. Watson stuffed his tee of Riviera to hang out with
shot into 5 feet for birdie on his pals at the Los Ange-
the 16th, and Kokrak did les Clippers-Golden State
well not to lose the lead by Warriors game Saturday
making a bending, 6-foot night. Best of all was win-
putt to save par from a ning another tournament.
bunker. “You’ve got to Dustin Johnson also was
eliminate the mental mis- in the mix for much of the
takes,” Kokrak said. “Hit- day, making too many
ting it in the middle of the bogeys to hold him back.
green on 15 is just ... I had a He closed with a 69 and
two-shot lead at the time.” finished fourth, two shots
The decisive moment was behind. Marc Leishman of
on the par-5 17th, where Australia, one shot behind
Watson hit his tee shot for much of the back nine,
so hard that both feet failed to save par from a
came off the ground. He bunker on the 16th and
reached the green with closed with a 69 to join
an iron and two-putted for Choi three shots behind.q
