Bubba Watson concedes defeat, advises Spieth to stay in moment

There's a hackneyed old saying that the only things sure in life are death and taxes.

 

This week, you can throw in another absolute – the 2015 Masters will not have a repeat champion.

 

Two-time winner Bubba Watson, who was fitted for his second green jacket last year at Augusta National Golf Club, finished his third day among the azaleas at 1-under par.

 

With 18 holes to go, he finds himself tied for 25th place and 15 strokes out of the lead owned by Jordan Spieth.

 

In years past, Watson wasn't one to concede defeat as long there was still golf to be played. On Saturday, the former University of Georgia standout did just that.

 

"You can say it ... I'm out of it," Watson said after shooting a 1-over 73. "But I got two of them, so I'll be able to sleep OK tonight. But it's about preparation for next time, you know, whenever that is. If I have a battle down the stretch at China next week, just preparing for that."

 

With Jordan Spieth starting the day at 14-under and Watson sitting at 2-under, a comeback in Augusta was going to be a long shot anyway.

 

But Watson opened the round in horrid fashion, carding a triple bogey on 1. That made for an uphill battle.

 

"Well, I plugged it in the lip on the third shot," Watson said, describing his 7 on the par-4 hole. "So I had to chip backwards. So that's it. Then I missed the 6-footer. When you miss your 6-footers around here, you're not going to do so well. That's what I have been doing all week.

 

"I haven't made all the putts I need to make."

 

Even with Spieth threatening to run and hide over the first two days, there was still hope for those who were able to record red numbers. Watson shot 71 on both Thursday and Friday, and overnight rains made for a different course on Saturday. It didn't work to his advantage.

 

To his credit, Watson basically negated the disaster on 1 with three consecutive birdies, but a bogey on 5 killed the momentum. The rest of the round featured four bogeys and four birdies, a wildly inconsistent showing.

 

Then again, all Watson had to do was look up at the leaderboard to see that a third Masters win was not in the cards for 2015.

 

"Obviously (Spieth's) a great player," Watson said. "He's been playing on tour, I think his first PGA Tour event as an amateur was, what, 16 years old? So obviously he's a lot more of a veteran than we give him credit for. He's played in a lot of big events. He played college golf. He's played on the PGA Tour for many years now.

 

"So, obviously, he's a great talent, solid, and he's been playing probably the best of all of us in the last six months or so."

 

Watson won his first Masters in epic fashion in 2012, defeating Louis Oosthuizen in a playoff after making a near impossible par in which he had to punch out from the trees.

 

Last year it was his final-round 69 that helped him fend off Spieth's challenge and don another jacket. This time, he knows for certain he won't be experiencing that unique feeling that comes with winning a major championship.

 

The only "advice" he can offer Spieth with 18 holes to go at Augusta is to let him know what it feels like to be on top after 54 of them.

 

"Well, it's just the same for anybody," Watson said. "You're nervous, you're trying not to think about it, you're trying to just focus on one shot at a time and get ready for that first tee shot."

 

This article was written by Scott Adamson from Anderson Independent Mail, S.C. and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.