Watson Wins Travelers Championship On Second Playoff Hole

Travelers Championship winner Bubba Watson (right) with Brian Harman.

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Bubba Watson made an 8-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole Sunday to outlast Paul Casey and win the Travelers Championship for the second time.

Casey had overcome a 3-stroke deficit with five to play, tying Watson at 16-under 264.

But Casey lost his chance at the title while playing the par-4 18th for the third time, when his third shot from a greenside bunker flew over the green and landed on the cart path.

Watson, meanwhile, hit his 160-yard approach just to the right of the hole.

Watson had a chance to win in regulation, but bogeyed the 17th, while Casey closed with three birdies on the final five holes, sandwiched around a bogey on 15.

Watson finished with a 67 at TPC River Highlands and Casey shot 65.

Watson also won a playoff in the WGC-HSBC Champions in China in November at the start of the season. He won the Travelers in 2010 for his first of eight PGA Tour titles.

"I hung on, and that's what you have to do sometimes to win," Watson said. "It's just about staying calm. That's what you have to do, you just breathe and walk slower, take some deep breaths and focus on the fact that no matter what you still come in second place. … I wish it was a lot easier, but a victory is a victory. My whole goal in my career was to get 10 wins. I need two more."

This was the sixth time since 2004 the tournament has been decided in a playoff.

Brian Harman was third at 15-under, while Brendon Todd was 15th at 9-under and Harris English was 25th at 7-under. Lee McCoy, Hudson Swafford and Erik Compton missed the cut.

The finish assured Harman of a spot in the British Open. Kevin Kisner also got into The Open based on standing 14th in the FedExCup Standings.

"I've been thinking about that tournament for a long time and really trying to look at a way to get in there," Harman said. "This one burns a little bit, but that definitely helps the sting."

That means Harman, Russell Henley, Chris Kirk, Kisner, Todd and Watson will be representing UGA in The Open.

• Michael Cromie came in second in the eGolf Gateway Tour's Mimosa Hills Open in North Carolina at 18-under. Cromie missed the cut four times to open the year but has since made four of five cuts. Mookie DeMoss missed the cut in his first eGolf Gateway Tour event.

• Compton, Henley, Kisner, Swafford, Todd and Watson will be in action this week in The Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia.

• Jack Larkin, who played for the Bulldogs from 1980-83 and is the father of current Bulldog Jack Larkin Jr., missed the cut in the U.S. Senior Open in California. Another familiar name in the field (who also missed the cut) was former Georgia women's golf coach Todd McCorkle.

• Bryden Macpherson is slated to play in this week's Nova Scotia Open on the Web.com Tour.

• Scott Parel came in 48th at 2-under and Bryden Macpherson missed the cut in last week's Air Capital Classic.

• Signee David Mackey has earned a spot in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, which will be held at Colleton River Plantation Club in Bluffton, S.C., July 20-25.

Eight Bulldogs Set For U.S. Open

Georgia once again will be well represented at the United States Open as one current and seven former Bulldogs will be in action.

Rising senior Lee McCoy will play as an amateur, while pros Erik Compton, Brian Harman, Russell Henley, Chris Kirk, Kevin Kisner, Brendon Todd and Bubba Watson also are in the field.

The U.S. Open will be played Thursday through Sunday at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash.

Tee times, converted to Eastern time, for the first and second rounds are below:

Thursday-Friday
1st hole-10th hole

10:33 a.m.-4:33 p.m. — Phil Mickelson, United States; Bubba Watson, United States; Angel Cabrera, Argentina.

10:55 a.m.-4:55 p.m. — Robert Streb, United States; a-Lee McCoy, United States; Kevin Chappell, United States.

11:39 a.m.-5:39 p.m. — Brooks Koepka, United States; Russell Henley, United States; Byeong-Hun An, South Korea.

5:50 p.m.-11:50 a.m. — Ryan Moore, United States; Anirban Lahiri, India, Erik Compton, United States.

10th hole-1st hole

10:55 a.m.-4:55 p.m. — Marcel Siem, Germany; Alexander Levy, France; Brian Harman, United States.

11:39 a.m.-5:39 p.m. — Patrick Reed, United States; Chris Kirk, United States; Jamie Donaldson, Wales.

4:55 p.m.-10:55 a.m. — Kevin Kisner, United States; George Coetzee, South Africa; Alexander Noren, Sweden.

5:06 p.m.-11:06 a.m. — Brendon Todd, United States; Branden Grace, South Africa; Thongchai Jaidee, Thailand.

• Harman joined OnlineAthens.com (the website for the Athens Banner-Herald newspaper) for a podcast earlier this week. Harman's segment starts at the 21:25 mark and can be heard here.

• During a practice round at Chambers Bay, Watson made one of the most bizarre putts you'll ever see. With the hole behind his back, he sent his putt up a slope in the green, and it rolled all the way back and into the cup. Watch it here.

McCoy Helps United States Retain Palmer Cup

Georgia's Lee McCoy holds the Palmer Cup after helping Team USA defeat Europe.

SUGAR GROVE, Ill. --- Georgia’s Lee McCoy helped the United States retain the Palmer Cup – a Ryder Cup-style event featuring collegians – with an 18-12 decision over Europe on Sunday at Rich Harvest Farms.

McCoy, who recently completed his junior year with the Bulldogs, earned 1.5 points for Team USA. He and Ollie Schniederjans defeated Thomas Detry and Jon Rahm 4&3 in the foursomes competition. McCoy overcame a three-hole deficit with three to play, including birdies on Nos. 17 and 18, to halve his singles match with Rahm.

McCoy was the ninth Bulldog to play for the United States Palmer Cup squad. He joined two-time players Nick Cassini, Brian Harman, Russell Henley, Chris Kirk and Adam Mitchell as well as Erik Compton, Ryan Hybl and Michael Morrison. Coach Chris Haack served two stints as the United States captain.

Next up for McCoy is the U.S. Open Thursday through Sunday at Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, Wash. McCoy and seven professional Bulldogs will be in the field as Erik Compton, Brian Harman, Russell Henley, Chris Kirk, Kevin Kisner, Brendon Todd and Bubba Watson qualified as well. Kisner was added to the field on Monday as he earned an exception by being ranked No. 55 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

McCoy, Harman Qualify For U.S. Open

UPDATED AT 9:22 P.M.:

Two men with ties to the Georgia golf team earned spots in the U.S. Open on Monday during sectional qualifying tournaments.

Lee McCoy, who just completed his junior season with the Bulldogs, finished second at Hawks Ridge Golf Club in Ball Ground, Ga. He carded a 13-under 131 to snare one of the sectional’s three spots.

At Germantown and Ridgeway Country Clubs in Memphis, Tenn, former Bulldog and current PGA Tour standout Brian Harman came in sixth at 7-under 135. The top 10 players in Memphis were awarded berths.

Georgia already had five representatives in the U.S. Open based on their PGA Tour accomplishments and the World Golf Rankings – Erik Compton, Russell Henley, Chris Kirk, Brendon Todd and Bubba Watson.

Kevin Kisner withdrew from his sectional in Ohio to rest his ailing back. After placing eighth in the Memorial on Sunday, Kisner moved to No. 57 in the WGR. If he stays in the top 60 after this week’s FedEx St. Jude Classic, he also will be invited to the U.S. Open.

Several others Bulldogs attempted to qualify for the U.S. Open on Monday but were unable to advance – former Bulldogs Ryuji Imada, Michael Parrott, Joey Garber, Harris English and Bryden Macpherson and signee David Mackey.

• Todd followed Kisner in the UGA standings in the Memorial as he came in 17th at 8-under. English came in 18th at 7-under, while Kirk and Compton were 36th at 3-under, and Hudson Swafford was 63rd at 3-over. Henley missed the cut.

• Macpherson came in 27th at 13-under in the Web.com Tour's Greater Dallas Open and Scott Parel missed the cut.

• Macpherson, Parel and Justin Bolli will play this week in the Rust-Oleum Championship in Ohio. Imada is listed among the alternates.

Bulldogs Fall To LSU In Match Play Semis

BRADENTON, Fla. --- The Georgia men’s golf team’s memorable run at the NCAA Championships came to an end on Tuesday in the match play semifinals at Concession Golf Club.

Georgia entered the NCAAs seeded 26th out of 30 teams and ranked 28th and 33rd in the two polls. But the Bulldogs led the majority of stroke play for four days and wound up third, then dispatched South Florida 4-1 in the match play quarterfinals Tuesday morning.

The Bulldogs’ quest for the national title came to a halt, however, when they dropped a 3-1-1 decision to SEC champion LSU in the semifinals (unofficially known as the “Final Fore”). The Tigers will take on Southern Cal Wednesday in the championship match.

“I think a lot of people will remember this team and the run they made. I know I will,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “They’ll always be special to all of us because of what they did this week. I am very proud of them. It’s not the way we wanted to see it end, but the guys fought hard and didn’t give anything away. They played their hearts out and that’s all I can ask for.”

Junior Lee McCoy, who was chosen as a First-Team All-American Tuesday morning, posted the Bulldogs’ win against LSU as he topped Stewart Jolly 2&1. Senior Mookie DeMoss and sophomore Greyson Sigg dropped 7&6 and 4&3 decisions, respectively, as LSU mounted a 2-1 lead. The Tigers clinched the match as Benjamin Taylor defeated freshman Zach Healy 2-up. Junior Sepp Straka’s match had been extended to extra holes and was halted.

“We had a good week and put ourselves in position to win it, but we just didn’t quite get it done,” Sigg said. “But we can hold our heads high. To make it to the national semis is big for our program. It means a lot we made it this far and we can build on that.”

“We gave it our all,” McCoy said. “Every guy on this team has a lot of heart and showed a lot of fight. I am proud of each and every one of them.”

In the quarterfinals win over South Florida, McCoy (5&3), DeMoss (1-up), Straka (3&2) and Healy (2&1) posted victories.

This was the Bulldogs’ third appearance in match play since that format was adopted for the 2009 season and they are now 4-3 all-time. Georgia went 2-1 in 2011 and 1-1 in both 2009 and 2015. The Bulldogs won national championships in 1999 and 2005, both under Haack.

Bulldogs Advance To NCAA Match Play To Face South Florida

BRADENTON, Fla. -- "Now the fun begins."

That was the sentiment of senior captain Mookie DeMoss on Monday after the Georgia men's golf team advanced to the match play portion of the NCAA Championships at Concession Golf Club.

The Bulldogs, who finished third in the stroke play portion of the event, will face tournament host South Florida on Tuesday at 7 a.m. on the 10th hole. The Georgia-South Florida winner will take on the Vanderbilt-LSU victor Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.

The other quarterfinal match-ups will be Illinois against UCLA and Texas against Southern Cal. The semifinal winners will square off on Wednesday at 2:10 p.m. for the national championship.

This will be the Bulldogs' third appearance in match play since that format was adopted for the 2009 season. Georgia went 1-1 in 2009 and 2-1 in 2011. Georgia won national championships in 1999 and 2005, both under Coach Chris Haack.

Georgia entered the NCAAs seeded 26th out of 30 teams and ranked 28th and 33rd in the two polls.

"We made it to match play and that was the goal. Now anything can happen," Haack said. "We're excited about the opportunity that is in front of us. This group has been a little schizophrenic this year. We've been pretty good at times and we've been pretty bad at times. I was hoping to see us put it all together at the right time and we did it. We picked a good week to play well."

The Bulldogs finished stroke play with a four-day total of 6-over 1,158. Illinois took the top spot at 3-over 1,155, while Vanderbilt wound up at 5-over 1,157, and Texas tied the Bulldogs at 6-over 1,158.

Junior Lee McCoy paced the Bulldogs on Monday as he fired a 2-under 70. DeMoss and sophomore Greyson Sigg each signed for a 1-over 73, followed by junior Sepp Straka at 3-over 75. Freshman Zach Healy had the Bulldogs' non-counting score of 5-over 77.

DeMoss came in 11th individually at even-par 288, eight shots shy of NCAA medalist Bryson Dechambeau of SMU. Healy came in 16th at 1-over 289, followed by McCoy at 6-over 294, Straka at 9-over 297 and Sigg at 10-over 298.

"I could not be prouder of my teammates," McCoy said. "Nobody expected Georgia to challenge for a national championship, yet here we are. We have a group of guys incredibly motivated and determined and playing for each other. There's no better team chemistry out there than ours."