Bubba Watson wins WGC-HSBC Champions in thrilling finish, playoff

No matter what you think of Bubba Watson, his style of golf is undoubtedly exciting — especially at its best.

Watson needed his best on the final shot of regulation at the WGC-HSBC Champions, shocking everyone when he holed out a bunker shot at the par-5 finisher for a playoff-forcing eagle. In the ensuing extra session, Watson rode the momentum to make a 20-foot birdie putt that toppled Tim Clark and secured his first World Golf Championships event.

The reigning Masters champion notched off an important goal on his career bucket list.

“I’ve always dreamed about winning at least once outside the U.S., to say that I can travel a little bit,” Watson said, adding he’s a step closer to his goal of 10 career PGA Tour wins. He now has seven.

Watson also survived a stacked leaderboard, many with a chance to surpass him at the last. Graeme McDowell, who had a piece of the lead after each of the first three rounds, couldn’t make birdie. Hiroshi Iwata missed a birdie putt to get into the extra session. Rickie Fowler’s aggressive second shot found a water hazard, leading to a scrambling par. Martin Kaymer made double bogey when the wedge he hit for his third shot carried too far, his ball bounding into the hazard beyond the green.

Making the win all the more remarkable was that Watson could have coasted to victory were it not for a bogey at the 16th hole at Sheshan International and a head-scratching double bogey at the 17th hole that turned a two-shot lead into a deficit. The left-hander was just as surprised as the massive gallery in China was when he made the 30-yard bunker shot.

“I was just standing there in awe, but I didn’t know how to react, so I just kind of screamed and lost my voice,” he said.

Watson is now the third-ranked player in the world and the highest-rated American.

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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