Zurich Classic - Wrapup
273 is a good number for Nick Watney.
In 2004, Watney had a solid campaign on the Nationwide Tour (19 of 25 cuts made and 12 top-25 finishes), but could not break through for his first victory. Then, at the season finale, Watney shot 69, 64, 71, 69 for a 273 total and his first win at the Nationwide Tour Championship.
Watney entered the PGA Tour as a 21-year-old rookie and through his first two years played well (8 top-10s and 15 top-25s), but could not get his break through win.
Enter the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Since it began in 1922, the tournament is responsible for 15 first time winners on the PGA Tour, including five of the past six champions.
Watney was number 16.
Watney shot rounds of 69, 67, 68, and 69 for that o’ so special score of 273 to win his first PGA Tour event.
Early it looked like Watney showed signs of weakness. He opened his front nine with back-to-back bogeys on the third and fourth holes and allowed Ken Duke to take his first lead of the tournament. Watney did not let Duke keep that lead for too long; on the very next hole Watney eagled the par-4 5th to retake the lead over Duke. After those back-to-back bogeys, Watney played practically flawless golf going 5-under in his last 14 holes. Duke faded after early birdies on the front nine and finished in sole second place at 12-under par with his final round 70.
The Zurich Classic is a tournament known for its proclivity to produce first time winners. Watney is a first time winner, but he is not an obscure name. Since his time in college, Watney has been a golfer to watch for. He played four years at Fresno State where he was a three-time All-American selection and the number 1 ranked collegiate golfer his senior year. He then turned that into a successful stint on the Nationwide Tour, but his game belonged in the big leagues.
Since Watney turned professional in 2003, he has always been one of the top ball strikers. This year, as the top ranked ball striker on the PGA Tour, the only knock on his game was his inconsistent, or sometimes, absent putting. This week, however, Watney excelled with the flat stick. A considerable improvement from his regular season average of 1.817 (PGA Tour rank-136th), he ranked 13th this week for putts per green in regulation at 1.667. If Watney can continue his improvement on the greens, he will have an all-around game that could catapult him into the upper echelon of PGA Tour players. And at only 26 years old he has a long time to do that.
This week the PGA Tour plays the EDS Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas. Check-in with hookedongolf.com for updates and results.
