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KAPALUA, Maui »Bubba Watson rolled out of bed feeling like somebody had done the rumba on his tummy.
Instead of succumbing to a stomach virus and calling in sick, the 2012 Masters champion gutted it out to shoot a final-round 71 and earn a tie for fourth at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He finished seven shots behind eventual champion Dustin Johnson.
So, Bubba, how do you feel?
"Not good, man," Watson said as he exited the scorer’s tent. "I just can’t get enough fluids and food in me. I’ve got no energy, really dehydrated. I’m going to talk to the doc here in just a second and see if we have to get an IV or something."
Had Watson birdied the par-5 18th, he would have tied 2012 FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker at 10-under 209. Watson got a little unlucky at the signature Plantation Course hole. His second shot rolled through the green and into the rough. He stubbed his chip, missed an 8-footer for birdie and had to settle for par. It was that kind of day.
Still, he managed a top-10 finish.
"And that’s what I wanted to do," Watson said. "I wanted to come out here and play. I felt terrible this morning — well, I still feel terrible. I wanted to get it in because of Presidents Cup points, FedEx Cup points. I wanted to get it in, so I could get off to a good start this year."
As well as Watson hit the ball this week, trying to find his putting stroke on the slow greens proved troublesome.
"I didn’t make any putts," Watson said. "It gets gusty and windy, and these greens are so slow and grainy and just tough, but somebody always plays good. It’s one of those things that you have to get better somehow and practice putting, I guess."
Snedeker gets close
Early in Tuesday’s final round, Snedeker was the hottest thing going. He shot 5 under through his first six holes and moved to within one shot of the lead held by Johnson before the wheels fell off on the closing three holes of the front nine. He bogeyed all three and couldn’t catch Johnson after that. He wound up alone in third after shooting a final-round 69.
"You get off to that kind of start, get right back in the middle of the tournament and make a 3-putt, dumb 3-putt on seven," Snedeker explained. "Nine was the killer to get right in front of the green in two and make bogey. It’s rustiness, got to blame it on something; just not playing enough and chipping enough around the greens.
"All in all, it was a great week. I got back in contention, which was nice, but I have some stuff I need to work on for sure."
Inside the numbers
Tuesday’s final round had the lowest scoring average of the week at 71.367. Rickie Fowler had the best closing 18 at 6-under 67. Fowler was bogey free through 16 before carding a double bogey at the par-4 17th. He made up for it with an eagle at 18.
Johnson had the second-best round with a 5-under 68 that included a double bogey at the 13th. Like Fowler, he erased it with an eagle at the 14th.
The hardest hole for the week was the par-3 eighth with a scoring average of 3.2. There were only four birdies and one triple. The easiest hole was the par-5 18th, where the 30 golfers in the field carded five eagles, 48 birdies, 36 pars and a lone bogey by Charlie Beljan for a scoring average of 4.367. Not bad for a 615-yard hole.
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