We’ve seen this movie before.
Paul Casey has.
The good folks up in Cromwell, Connecticut have.
So has The Cromwell Kid — good old River Highlands Bubba Watson himself.
What transpired up there on a cool, overcast Sunday afternoon with frontal rain slowly bearing down on the proceedings, was yet another Cromwell Comeback by the now three-time champion at The Travelers.
It was at The Travelers in 2010 when Bubba Watson introduced himself to everyone, crying his eyes out after that first tour win and basically declaring that if he ever won 10 times: “I’m done.”
The win count is getting up there for Bubba with Sunday’s rally and a face-flop by Casey.
Watson’s at 12 and counting, with no intention to quit, these million dollar paydays will do that to a guy — you can always use an extra million — right?
Bubba ran down Casey on Sunday, starting six shots back but stuff like that will happen when you shoot 63 and the guy you’re chasing shoots 74 on a course that’s pretty much a par 68 for these guys.
Casey shot his 62 on Saturday, perhaps a day too soon and declared:
If I hadn’t won in a while, then yeah, there would be more pressure. I sit here right now with no nerves,” Casey said after that 63 in the third round. “I’m sure there will be tomorrow, but no nerves now. I’m very happy with what I’ve done. In years past maybe that wouldn’t have been the case because there hadn’t been enough wins.”
Casey broke a four-year winless streak earlier this season at the Valspar but Sunday things didn’t go his way.
After turning the front nine in even Casey had to hear the noise well ahead as Watson was tearing up the back nine with birdies at 10, 12 and 13 to pull within a shot of Casey’s 16-under lead.
Casey couldn’t find a birdie and he probably saw the Bubba-writing on the wall when he didn’t birdie the par five 13th. Bubba made a clutch 11-footer for birdie at 15 and it was tied at 16-all.
Watson finished his day with a spectacular second shot at the 18th after blasting one of those 365-yard drives. He pulled his 63-degree wedge and hit a gem of a second “I even put cut-spin on it,” Bubba said. Bubba’s caddie, Teddy Scott called the cut-wedge “one of the best shots you’ve ever hit” after the ball hit just past the fringe, took two hops and danced all over the hole, providing Watson with a closing birdie, his second 63 of the tournament and a 17-under total.
After hearing all the noise in front, Casey totally fell apart. He didn’t birdie that driveable 15th then totally took himself out of it with bogeys at 16 and 17.
Win number three of this season was handed to Bubba on a platter.
That’s huge — Bubba’s the first guy to three and you could see that this is a course where he is comfortable and when Bubba gets comfortable, he can work some magic.
“It was cool to watch,” said Bryson DeChambeau, who played alongside Watson. “I wish I could do that,” he said of the Bubba Magic Act.
Don’t feel bad Bryson, there’s nobody quite like Bubba when he starts slapping those big cuts and hooks and makes it work.
“It’s absolutely amazing,” said Watson, who now parks one of those huge RVs at the courses he plays and the family lives in it.
What was also amazing was the wedge shot Bubba closed the deal with. “Pull off amazing shots, it’s what we all try to do on Sunday. People don’t know how difficult that was downwind. Teddy (Scott) said it was one of the best shots I’ve ever hit.”
It was and this tournament has provided three of Bubba’s 12 victories. This time it was Deja Bubba All Over Again.
And for Bubba, life is better under The Umbrella.
