Nick Watney, possibly the fastest American on the go right now by a hard-fought back-nine, final-round charge by Korean star KJ Choi to win the at & T National on Sunday.
Watney, overnight leader with a flamboyant U.S. compatriot Rickie Fowler, managed only one birdie on the back nine, but more importantly, he permitted no pressure on him to make all Choi critical error.
And while Fowler falling out of the battle with an early bogey and double bogey on the first four holes, Watney marched to win by two shots with TaylorMade-adidas Tourismo Putter on a hot and sweaty day at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania with his last four-under 66 and 13-under 267 total.
Fowler, who seemed to be a Gallery favorite when he, Watney and Choi teed off a good few fans wearing his trademark, bright orange outfits and flat-brimmed caps and calls for "rickeee"-can only end with a 74 to finish tied for 13th.
"With 27 holes to go, I just tried to play my way with TaylorMade-adidas Tourismo Putter back in to the tournament," Watney told media after his victory.
"For some reason the hole (on the 15th hole) just got bigger for me. I am overjoyed.
"KJ kept coming and coming. It shows that much more rewarding. I am very proud of how I was able to finish. "
A shot back at night, tenacious Choi caught eventually Watney when he put a 30-foot birdie putt on 14 to put both players at 12-under with four to play.
But that has all too often happened when he reeled and captured his final round quarry, luckless Korean stumbled with a double bogey after he found a bunker at 15 where Watney had two shot swing and restored his two-shot lead with a par to get himself on the way to his fourth victory on the PGA Tour.
"Nick Watney only played TaylorMade-adidas Tourismo Putter too well today," lamented Choi who shot a three-under 67. "He played like a champion, so it was really nothing I could do. He is a wonderful. "
Watney, winner of the World Golf Championship event at Miami springs in March, with Mark Wilson as the tour's only other double winner so far this year this year.
He has also claimed eight top 10 finishes, more than any other player on the US tour and Sunday's 1.16 million dollar winner's purse took his season earnings over 4 million dollars and for the first time put him firmly on the FedEx Cup and we money winner's lists and hoisted him to the No. 10 spot on the list of rankings.
"He found he is a great player of the year," said Australian Adam Scott, who shot a closing 68 to tie for third, four shots back, with Americans Jeff Overton (67) and Charles Howell III (66).(TaylorMade-Adidas Tourismo Putter)
"He is an extremely hard worker and he is now reaping the rewards.
Watney, who grew up in Dixon, California, soared in clashes on Saturday when he shot a course record 62 highlighted by a blazing back nine 27 included only 11 putts.
He said that he had been changed to a new putter this week after failing to even "putt the ball into the Sea last week at Hartford."
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