Bubba Watson is an iconoclast in a sport of conformists, in possession of a swing that defies duplication and a mind so overactive that he has a hard time focusing for more than a few seconds. Somehow, his long hitting and short attention span carried him to victory Sunday at the most buttoned-down of majors, on a course that requires the mental concentration of an illusionist. Extricating himself from more tight spots than David Blaine, Watson overcame a four-stroke deficit in the final 16 holes of the 76th Masters to force a playoff with his final-round partner, Louis Oosthuizen. Watson closed with a four-under-par 68 at Augusta National Golf Club, one stroke better than Oosthuizen, as both finished at 10-under 278. Watson made up the four-stroke deficit with four consecutive birdies, starting at No. 13, none of which he could recall afterward. Twice the 33-year-old Watson set himself up birdie putts to win and missed — on the 18th in regulation and on the 18th on the first hole of sudden death. On the second playoff hole, Watson two-putted from 15 feet for par to secure his first major championship. After barely missing his birdie attempt, Watson stepped away from the tap-in he had left for the victory. Was his mind on the task at hand? Of course not. He was replaying a missed putt of less than a foot by I.K. Kim the previous week that cost her a victory in the LPGA's first major of the year, the Kraft Nabisco Championship. After corralling his concentration, Watson made the putt, and in the process made a perfect swing by Oosthuizen, one that resulted in a double-eagle 2, magically disappear. The historic shot came on the second hole, a 575-yard par 5. From 253 yards, Oosthuizen holed his second shot with a four-iron for the first 2 on the hole in the history of the tournament. The ball bounced in front of the green and tracked toward the cup. With the crowd noise increasing in fury with every roll, the ball disappeared in the hole. Oosthuizen then came up short because Watson followed his worst shot of the day with his best. After driving into the woods on No. 10 in the playoff, he hit a majestic hook onto the green to set up the two-putt. Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, hit his second shot short of the green, then pitched to the back fringe and nearly made the par putt. Asked to describe his style of play, Watson came up with the term "Bubba Golf" and said his mantra was: "If I have a swing, I have a shot." In that respect, he is a kindred spirit of Phil Mickelson, who began day one stroke off the lead. A triple bogey at the par-3 fourth cost him a chance at his fourth green jacket. He closed with a 72 and tied for third with Peter Hanson (73) and Matt Kuchar, who shot a 69 and was one of four players who held at least a share of the final-round lead. Tiger Woods posted a two-over 74 and finished tied for 40th at five over, his highest score as a professional at the Masters. Two strokes behind him, in a three-way tie for 47th, was the UCLA sophomore Patrick Cantlay, who overcame a quadruple-bogey 9 on No. 13 to post a 72 and secure low-amateur honors. - Agencies
