Rick Scuteri – USA Today Sports
One thing is clear: Bubba Watson wasn’t playing “scared golf” today.
Following a challenging first round at the 2013 Zurich Classic in which he finished with a one-over 73, Watson caught fire on the back nine at TPC Louisiana. Following a bogey on his opening hole Friday, Watson was nearly perfect the rest of the day. After going out in one-under (35) on the front nine, Watson birdied six of the final nine, to put himself in a comfortable position, six-under for the tournament going into Saturday’s third round.
While Watson now finds himself in a tie for 12th place, six back of leader Lucas Glover, this has to be a huge confidence boost for him. His score of 65 on Friday has only been matched by Glover and Boo Weekley, who sit 1-2 for the championship and beaten only by Ricky Barnes, whose eight-under 64 on Thursday was followed by a testing 74 in the second round.
So while Watson may not be in the lead at the Zurich Classic, this could be the start of a nice move up the leaderboard that can continue through the weekend. He’s won this event before, and it seems incredibly unlikely that the current leaders will be able to keep up the scoring pace they’re on right now. Watson definitely still has some work to do if he is going to win this event, but last year’s scoring record of -19 is going to be tough to make for anybody, even with Glover 12-under. Needing to gain likely 10 strokes will be challenging, but it can happen. Bubba’s brand of golf can get it done.
Brandon Raper is a golf writer and contributor for www.RantSports.com. “Like” him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, or add him to your Google+ circles.
