Nick Watney climbing rankings after year of distractions good and bad

LOS ANGELES (AP) – One month into the new year, Nick Watney already is putting last year out of his mind. 

 

Watney was hampered early by a back injury that forced him out of the final round at Doral, and the birth of his first child the following week. 

 

But those should have been merely speed bumps. He didn't need to elaborate on a season that produced only two top-10s and knocked him out of the FedExCup playoffs after one event. 

 

"I didn't play well. I putted awful all year," Watney said. "It was just kind of a snowball thing – putting bad and then you try to hit it closer and you miss short-side, you make bogeys. 

 

"Then you try to make birdies and you make more bogeys. I thought about it, and for whatever reason, I played poorly last year and I know that. I know what I needed to work on. I'm doing it. And so the more distance I can put between myself and last year, the better." 

 

Watney tied for seventh in San Diego, just two shots out of the playoff, and he was runner-up at Pebble Beach where he opened with four straight birdies until making enough mistakes for Brandt Snedeker to pull away. 

 

His five career victories include a World Golf Championship and a FedExCup playoff event at Bethpage Black. He hasn't missed a major in six years, but much like Snedeker, he started the year with no status in the big events. He fell out of the top 100 for the first time in six years. 

 

Most painful for Watney? Watching the HSBC Champions in Shanghai on TV last fall. 

 

"I hate not being able to compete," Watney said. "I hate not being qualified for tournaments. I want to play against the best guys, so it's very motivating." 

 

His recent run moved him to No. 75 in the world. 

 

Watney's daughter, Harper, was at Pebble Beach. He is living in Austin, Texas, though he plans to spend half the year in Las Vegas.