Bubba Watson Was a Maestro With a Bogey-Free Second Round at The Players Championship

Watson shoots 4-under 68 on a windy Saturday at TPC Sawgrass to share the clubhouse lead with Justin Thomas.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Bubba Watson has the qualities of a virtuoso and at times those of a muggle. At times, he can look spectacular and in others, just a little silly.

In the second round of The Players Championship, the 43-year-old left-hander was Houdini-esque with a 4-under 68, the 61st bogey-free round of his career. At the end of the day on Saturday, Watson shared the clubhouse lead with Justin Thomas, at 3-under 141.

On a day when North Florida temperatures went from the 70s to the low 50s and the wind blew a steady 25 mph and gusted up to 38 mph, Watson viewed the conditions as a perfect day to go out and enjoy proving he could perform under the pressure.

“It was really good,” a tired and mentally drained Watson said after his best round at The Players since an opening 68 in 2018. “It was one of those days you had to trust, and you had to be committed to your shots, even if they go wild.”

Watson admitted to hitting some wayward shots and while his career is mainly known for his length and imaginative ball-striking, it was his putter that made the difference on Saturday with a strokes-gained putting total of 4.352, his fourth-best career putting round.

On a course where Watson has seen little success – T-37 is his best finish – Watson suggested that Pete Dye was crafty. The TPC Sawgrass designer created some blind shots, which are difficult for Watson because he likes to see shots in his mind.

“I'm the perfect person that fell into the trap on every hole, because for me, I like to look at certain shots or see certain shots,” Watson said. “There's a lot of holes that don't fit my eye. Even though there's a lot of fairways, I just can't see it because of the way the bunkers are lifted and different things.”

At noon on Saturday, Watson resumed his first round on the eighth hole, his 17th. Watson was 1 over at the time and over the next 20 holes, he marched up the leaderboard to finish with four birdies to end at T-15 and tied for the clubhouse lead, while some of the players in the second-round morning wave and all the afternoon wave still on the course.

“Today it's all about the mental grind and trying to stay committed to the shots or the putts even when the wind's blowing,” Watson said. “Even the two-footers. It's very tough.”

Watson has only recorded two rounds in the 60s on the weekend in the eight times he has made the cut at The Players, even though this year’s “weekend” is Sunday and Monday.

“Who knows what's going to happen tomorrow,” Watson said. “I don't know what time they start and what time they finish but being able to sleep in for the second day in a row is nice.”