GOLF: Nick Watney, ice-cool on a glorious day of bright sunshine at Torrey Pines, overhauled fellow American John Rollins to clinch his second PGA Tour title by a shot at the Buick Invitational yesterday.
Five strokes behind the pacesetting Rollins overnight, Watney birdied three of the last six holes on the picturesque South Course to seal victory with a four-under-par 68.
After sinking a 40-foot birdie putt from the fringe of the 16th green to move into a tie for the lead, Watney also birdied the par-five 18th for an 11-under total of 277.
Rollins, three ahead with five holes to play, had to settle for second place after closing with a topsy-turvy 74.
Colombian Camilo Villegas, who narrowly missed a 40-foot eagle putt at the last, closed with a 72 to share third place at nine under with American Lucas Glover (68).
"Winning a golf tournament is never easy," said a beaming Watney after earning the winner's cheque for $954,000 (€740,000). "I knew with this golf course and the conditions it was going to play tough.
"John and Camilo were both playing well all week so I really just tried to be patient and give myself as many opportunities as I could.
"Luckily I was able to make some putts and it worked out," added the 27-year-old Californian, who won his maiden PGA Tour title at the 2007 New Orleans Classic.
World number three Pádraig Harrington signed off with his best score of the week, a 68 lifting him into a tie for 24th at one under.
Three-times champion Phil Mickelson finished a further three strokes adrift, bogeying three of the first four holes en route to a 75.
Three ahead overnight, Rollins made a poor start with consecutive bogeys, three-putting at the first and missing the green to the right with his approach at the par-four second.
In pursuit of his third Tour victory, he made his first birdie of the day at the par-five sixth, chipping up from just short of the green to three feet and knocking in the putt to regain his three-shot cushion at the turn.
Rollins again stumbled at the 12th, finding a fairway bunker off the tee and the right rough with his approach before chipping to nine feet and narrowly missing the par putt.
With his lead cut to one, he responded in potential champion style with a brilliant eagle at the par-five 13th.
His second shot there ended up 21 feet from the hole and he coolly rolled in the right-to-left breaking putt before pumping his right fist in celebration. However, Rollins bogeyed two of the next three holes to relinquish the outright lead.
On the 14th he missed the fairway off the tee and found tangly rough just off the green with his approach before ending up in a plugged lie in a greenside bunker at the par-three 16th.
Watney, who had trailed Rollins by two standing on the 16th tee, rammed in his long-range birdie putt to move into a tie for the lead at 10 under.
Both players parred the 17th before Watney reached the green in two at the last and coaxed his approach putt to within three feet of the cup.
Rollins, whose second shot there ended up in a greenside bunker, splashed out to 12 feet but missed his birdie attempt before Watney calmly rolled in his putt to secure the title.
"It was tough out there today," said Rollins. "Nick played great, hit the ball well all day and made some good putts. My hat's off to him.
"I just seemed to struggle to get anything going and got off to a bad start. I was always kind of playing defence."
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