CROMWELL, Conn. – He doesn’t own the place, though Bubba Watson surely has earned enough prize money here ($4.735m) to at least qualify as a limited partner at TPC River Highlands. Short of strolling the streets of Pensacola, Fla., it’s hard to envision an environment that puts Watson in his comfort zone quite like the week of the Travelers Championship. He’s playing for the 15th time in 16 years and per usual, Watson is the center of attention, widely loved by fans who even in these days of limited attendance are following his every move with such zest that it’s impossible not to know what he’s doing. Strike that. Apparently, Watson’s four birdies in seven holes on his final nine, his pink-headed driver face that came flying off the shaft, and his 4-under 66 to push to 8-under 132 and into the clubhouse lead were thrilling stuff for seemingly everyone but one on site. The exception was playing competitor Phil Mickelson, who said he couldn’t add anything to the picture. “Not really paying attention,” he said. “I’ve had my own struggles at the time.” Oh, those crazy lefthanders and their maniacal games that were at different ends of the spectrum. Mickelson, indeed, was all over the map, “pathetic” bogeys at Nos. 1 and 2 put him at 1-over, but he birdied three of the final four holes to shoot 69 and get to 2-under, likely good enough to make the cut. Making the cut is rarely in doubt for Watson at the Travelers, not when you’ve won three times, finished second once, and top 10 on two other occasions. With back-to-back 66s, he’s now broken par in 40 of his 52 rounds at TPC River Highlands, and 17 of the scores have been 66 or lower. Can he explain the warm embrace he feels here? “When you come off the U.S. Open, everything seems easier,” he said. “Even though there is thick rough, you feel like you can play out of it. You can still move the ball forward.” He also watched his driver face go flying when it came off the shaft at the second hole. It didn’t travel 295 yards, as did his golf ball, “but once you hit, you’re focused on where the driver head goes; it didn’t reach the crowd.” Clearly, it didn’t unravel Watson (his backup driver was brought out to him two holes later), who birdied Nos. 5, 6 and 7 and didn’t even seem ruffled by a three-putt bogey at his 18th hole, the par-4 ninth. And why would he be shaken by that ending? He’s among thousands of people who cherish his presence and a golf course that feels like the warmest slippers you can imagine.
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