Bubba Watson overcomes snapped driver at Travelers – KIRO 7 News Seattle

CROMWELL, Connecticut – (AP) – We’re pausing now to fondly remember Bubba Watson’s neon pink driver that broke apart in mid-swing on Friday’s second tee of the Travelers Championship.

And if the three-time Travelers winner gets that lucky over the weekend, think about the rest of the field in the TPC River Highlands.

Watson bounced back after snapping his driver to make a birdie in second place on his way to a second straight 66 that left him under at 8, one stroke behind 36-hole leaders Jason Day.

“It was a perfect tee in the middle. I chipped it there and turned the putt into a birdie, ”Watson said dryly. “Ho-hum.”

Day shot 62 for the day’s low score and a chance at his first top 3 result in more than three years. The former world number one missed three straight cuts before finishing 44th in the PGA Championship, then retiring from Memorial with a back injury and unable to qualify for the US Open.

Day appeared to be fidgeting with his back on the court on Friday but still had eight birdies in a bogey-free round.

“Sometimes when you have an injury or stiffness, sometimes even if you are sick you can come out and play good golf,” he said. “I was lucky not to really stand in my way today.”

Round one co-leader Kramer Hickok was 10 under before flying the par-3 green on the 16th hole and then making three 18-foot puttes for a double bogey; he finished on a 69 to tie Watson for second.

Justin Rose and Kevin Kisner each shot 63 and were among seven players who were in fourth place with minus 7. Satoshi Kodaira, who lost 7 after the first round, shot a 2-over 72 in the second.

A total of 79 players made the cut at minus 2 on the 6,841 yard, par 70 course outside Hartford. Only under the number: defending champion Dustin Johnson and the two-time winner Phil Mickelson.

Watson, who won the 2010, ’15 and ’18 tournament, started in 10th place on Friday morning and was 1 under for the day when he arrived at the par 4 second hole, 350 yards.

Then his driver fell apart – but he didn’t.

After touching the ball, Watson’s club head fell off the shaft and landed just outside the gallery, leaving him with a broken shaft in his hands.

“Luckily … he didn’t reach the crowd so nobody got hurt,” he said. “Nobody in my group knew where the ball was.

Despite a fairly pronounced fade, the ball landed in the fairway about 50 yards from the pin. Watson hit 11 feet and punched the putt.

Watson said it could have been the travel that, from hot to cold or overuse, caused the club to break right above the hosel where the shaft connects to the head. His caddy, Ted Scott, tried to pry the rest of the shaft out so the head could be reused; Watson had a backup driver in his trunk for such an emergency.

Rule 4.1 allows Watson to replace the club. After hitting a 3-wood on the 437-yard, par-4 third, he had his support in time for the 479-yard, par-4, fourth.

“It’s one of those things that has happened before and I always have a backup. They brought me the backup two holes later and I played with it for the rest of the day, “he said.” I knew there were only a few drivers left, so it really wasn’t a big deal. “

Watson added birdies on the fifth and sixth holes before taking a 50-foot birdie putt on # 7 to take the lead at 9 under. He returned that shot with a missed 3-footer on the last hole.

“I tried to get a few extra when I could,” he said. “Just one of those things that went wrong.”

Bryson DeChambeau shot 66 on Friday and was minus 5, a shot better than social media archenemy Brooks Koeplka, who got a 67 in the second round. Koepka’s brother Chase, a regular minor league tour participant who qualified for the tournament last year but retired due to COVID-19 protocols, shot 73 and missed the cut at 3 over.

___

More AP-Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in any way without permission.