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Golf

09th Nov 2014

Phenomenal 18th bunker shot for eagle earns Bubba playoff… and he wins it

But Graeme McDowell blows lead

Conan Doherty

This is the kind of script that they say you couldn’t write when, in actual fact, it’s exactly what everyone would write if they were allowed to.

Bubba Watson trailed Tim Clark by two heading into the 18th hole at the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai today and, even though he also found himself behind Graeme McDowell on the leader board, that was soon rectified with the most outrageous of shots.

You’d have thought, when his approach to the green found sand, that his hopes of winning the competition were dead and buried but this special chip shot from the bunker was worth any competition’s prize-money alone, especially all of the $8.5m purse on offer today.

Last hole, eagle, from the bunker, playoff win.  Sure you couldn’t write it.

With McDowell finishing one over par for the day, he was cut off by one from Clark and Watson who completed the four rounds with 11 under.  Bubba went on to seal the deal in a playoff – I mean, it was only right after that crazy shot forced it.

But it was disappointment for our Northern Irish interest.

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