Bubba Watson produced some of the finest matchplay golf you will ever see to leave Branden Grace helpless at the WGC-Dell Match Play.
Grace stood no chance of getting himself into the contest after a front nine birdie barrage from Watson, who won earlier in the year at the Genesis Open.
The former Masters champion played his first nine holes in seven under — to lead 7up as he rattled off birdies at one (18-foot putt), two (5.5-foot), three (27-foot), four (26 foot), six (six-foot), eighth (14-foot) and nine (11-foot) while he averaged just short of 10 feet per hole played on Wednesday.
That putting display was more than enough to secure a first-round win, even if Grace reduced the deficit from six to four on the back nine.
The South African wasn’t dreadful by any stretch, he didn’t make a bogey and was two under through 14.
‘Look at what [Rory] McIlroy did last week [at the Arnold Palmer Invitational],’ said Watson, who ran out the 5&3 winner.
‘When you putt like that, you have a chance to win a golf tournament. So today the golf tournament was one day, one player I had to beat. Today I made the putts.
‘Tomorrow he’ll make the putts and maybe have a chance to win his match. So it was just today it was going my way. The greens were on my side.’
Birdie count:
8 – Watson
2 – Grace
*In the second Group 11 match, Julian Suri defeated Marc Leishman 3&2
