Bubba Watson came up well short of defending his green jacket last season, but he’s right in the thick of things through 18 holes this year. Although Watson was only able to muster three birdies on the day, he played a bogey free round and is one stroke off the lead after shooting a 3-under 69.
Masters 2014 leaderboard: Bubba Watson surges, Phil Mickelson drops off
Bill Haas is still the leader in the clubhouse, but Bubba Watson has joined the group tied for second place.
Andrew Redington
Watson’s bogey-free round is a rarity in a major championship, especially for him. According to the ESPN broadcast, Thursday was just the second time in 81 major championship rounds that Watson played bogey-free golf. A big part of avoiding a bogey was his ability to hit greens. Watson hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation and could have improved on his score even more had he had some more success with the putter. He finished with 32 putts in the round. Watson took advantage of the par-5s on the back nine, recording a birdie on both.
Although Watson played a steady and relatively uneventful round, Phil Mickelson’s day has been the exact opposite. Mickelson birdied two holes early on the back nine, but a triple bogey at No. 7 and a double bogey at No. 15 were especially damaging. He appeared to be in good position on No. 15, but his wedge shot into the green came up short and rolled back into the water hazard. He’s currently 4-over through 16 holes, and barring a late birdie or two, he will have a lot of ground to make up.
It’s also been an up-and-down back nine for Keegan Bradley. He’s 3-over through 17 holes, despite three birdies on the back nine. His round also includes four bogeys and an opening double bogey.
Place | Player | Score | Through |
1 | Bill Haas | -4 | F |
T2 | Louis Oosthuizen | -3 | F |
T2 | Adam Scott | -3 | F |
T2 | Bubba Watson | -3 | F |
T5 | Jonas Blixt | -2 | F |
T5 | K.J. Choi | -2 | F |
T5 | Brandt Snedeker | -2 | F |
T5 | Kevin Stadler | -2 | F |
T5 | Jimmy Walker | -2 | F |
T5 | Gary Woodland | -2 | F |
T11 | Fred Couples | -1 | F |
T11 | Rickie Fowler | -1 | F |
T11 | Stephen Gallacher | -1 | F |
T11 | Miguel Angel Jimenez | -1 | F |
T11 | Marc Leishman | -1 | 17 |
T11 | Matteo Manassero | -1 | F |
T11 | Rory McIlroy | -1 | F |
T11 | Francesco Molinari | -1 | F |
T11 | Jordan Spieth | -1 | F |
T20 | Sang-Moon Bae | E | F |
T20 | Ernie Els | E | 17 |
T20 | Bernhard Langer | E | F |
T20 | Graeme McDowell | E | F |
T20 | John Senden | E | F |
T20 | Kevin Streelman | E | F |
T20 | Steve Stricker | E | F |
T20 | Nick Watney | E | F |
T20 | Lee Westwood | E | 15 |
T29 | Thomas Bjorn | 1 | F |
T29 | Stewart Cink | 1 | F |
T29 | Jamie Donaldson | 1 | F |
T29 | Victor Dubuisson | 1 | 17 |
T29 | Russell Henley | 1 | 15 |
T29 | Thongchai Jaidee | 1 | F |
T29 | Matt Kuchar | 1 | F |
T29 | Hunter Mahan | 1 | 17 |
T29 | Patrick Reed | 1 | F |
T29 | Charl Schwartzel | 1 | F |
T29 | Henrik Stenson | 1 | F |
T29 | Boo Weekley | 1 | F |
T29 | Mike Weir | 1 | F |
T42 | Steven Bowditch | 2 | F |
T42 | Roberto Castro | 2 | F |
T42 | Darren Clarke | 2 | F |
T42 | Brandon de Jonge | 2 | F |
T42 | Harris English | 2 | 15 |
T42 | Jim Furyk | 2 | F |
T42 | Sergio Garcia | 2 | F |
T42 | Matt Jones | 2 | F |
T42 | Larry Mize | 2 | F |
T42 | Jose Maria Olazabal | 2 | F |
T42 | Thorbjorn Olesen | 2 | F |
T42 | Webb Simpson | 2 | F |
T54 | Keegan Bradley | 3 | 17 |
T54 | Jason Day | 3 | F |
T54 | Ken Duke | 3 | F |
T54 | Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano | 3 | F |
T54 | Lucas Glover | 3 | F |
T54 | Billy Horschel | 3 | F |
T54 | John Huh | 3 | F |
T54 | Martin Kaymer | 3 | F |
T54 | Chris Kirk | 3 | F |
T54 | Joost Luiten | 3 | 17 |
T54 | Mark O'Meara | 3 | F |
T54 | Vijay Singh | 3 | F |
T54 | Scott Stallings | 3 | F |
T67 | Derek Ernst | 4 | F |
T67 | Matt Every | 4 | F |
T67 | Matthew Fitzpatrick | 4 | F |
T67 | Oliver Goss | 4 | F |
T67 | Sandy Lyle | 4 | F |
T67 | Phil Mickelson | 4 | 16 |
T67 | Garrick Porteous | 4 | F |
T67 | Ian Poulter | 4 | F |
T67 | Justin Rose | 4 | 16 |
T76 | Luke Donald | 5 | F |
T76 | Peter Hanson | 5 | 17 |
T76 | Dustin Johnson | 5 | F |
T76 | Ryan Moore | 5 | F |
T76 | Ian Woosnam | 5 | F |
T76 | Y.E. Yang | 5 | F |
T82 | Angel Cabrera | 6 | F |
T82 | Zach Johnson | 6 | F |
T82 | David Lynn | 6 | F |
T82 | Michael McCoy | 6 | F |
T82 | D.A. Points | 6 | F |
T82 | Tom Watson | 6 | F |
T88 | Tim Clark | 7 | F |
T88 | Trevor Immelman | 7 | F |
T90 | Graham DeLaet | 8 | F |
T90 | Jason Dufner | 8 | F |
T90 | Chang-Woo Lee | 8 | F |
T90 | Hideki Matsuyama | 8 | F |
94 | Jordan Niebrugge | 9 | F |
95 | Craig Stadler | 10 | F |
96 | Ben Crenshaw | 11 | F |
97 | Branden Grace | 12 | F |
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