Bubba Watson saved the day Thursday at the Travelers Championship.
The two-time Masters champ saved the tournament from the dreaded “no-name leaderboard syndrome.”
Watson shot his best round of the season, an eight-under par 62 that was good for a two-shot lead after the first day of play at the TPC River Highlands.
The event has special meaning for Watson, who notched his first-ever PGA Tour win there in 2010.
He did it despite a bogey at the par three 16th when he missed the green and failed to get up-and-down for par.
After Watson, it’s pretty much pot-luck. Sure there’s New Englander Keegan Bradley, who tried to recruit players for the event but the Travelers suffers from the post-U.S. Open hangover where most of the stars choose to take the week off.
Watson came in fresh. He shot 70-77 at Chambers Bay and had the weekend off, missing the 36-hole cut. But he was back on familiar ground Thursday and rewarded the galleries with some brilliant shot-making.
Others with Bradley at 66 were Brian Stuard, Harris English, South Korean Seung-Yul Noh and Jason Gore.
After the Chamber of Horrors at Chambers Bay, low scoring was rampant at TPC River Highlands. A total of 93 players shot under par.
