Bubba Watson overcame a late hiccup to take sole possession of the lead going into the final round of the US$2 million International Series Morocco presented by Visit Morocco.
The 47-year-old American, a two-time Masters champion and skipper of the RangeGoats GC on LIV Golf, seemed to be on cruise control on the demanding par-73 Red Course of Royal Golf Dar Es Salam as he made five birdies in his first 13 holes.
However, against the run of play, Watson made back-to-back bogeys on the 14th and 15th holes, before getting one shot back on the drivable par-4 17th hole.
Watson, looking for his first win since the 2018 Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour, closed on four-under-par 69, eking a narrow one-shot advantage over Thailand’s 2022 champion Jazz Janewattananond (67) and Hong Kong’s in-form Taichi Kho (68). The two players in second place experienced contrasting fortunes over the closing stretch. Jazz finished birdie-eagle, while Kho could only par the last two holes, including finding water off the tee on the 17th.
Japan’s Takanori Konishi shot a bogey-free 66 as he chases a first win outside his home country and joined Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert (72) in tied fourth position at 12-under. Julien Sale (68) of France and Suteepat Prateeptienchai (70) of Thailand were tied sixth at 11-under.
Mehdi El Fakori, the only Moroccan player to make the cut, shot his second successive three-under par 70 to improve to tied 33rd place at five-under par.
Watson did not hit many fairways (eight of 15), but still managed to hit 15 greens in regulation. The birdie he cherished most was from 12 feet on the 10th, which came after Pavit had damaged the hole moments earlier when he slam-dunked his second shot for an eagle on the par-4 10th hole.
“It was a long day out there today. The round seemed to take forever, which made it difficult to get into a rhythm at times. I only made one bad mistake with a three-putt on the 15th hole. Other than that, it was a great day,” said Watson, who was cheered by his family during the round.
“My daughter couldn’t care less what I’m shooting, and that’s pretty awesome. It’s great to have her out here. Normally she’s not old enough to walk all the holes, so it’s nice to see her out supporting me. She loves me no matter what I shoot, and that’s always a great feeling.”
“The hole (on the 10th) had taken a bit of damage, and the rules official tried to repair it, but there was still a lot of loose dirt around the edge. My ball ended up falling in because of that, so I’ll take it.”
Jazz was delighted with the way he played the golf course over the last two days.
“I’m just hoping I can bring the same level of ball-striking, putting and overall play from the last two days into the final round. If I can do that, I think I will give myself a really good chance going into the last round tomorrow and making a strong push,” said Jazz, who made a double-bogey five on the ninth hole before the grandstand finish of birdie-eagle.
“The 17th is really a drivable hole, so you almost feel like you need to make birdie there to keep pace. I did my job on that hole. I didn’t hit a particularly good chip, but I made a good putt to save the birdie.
“On the 18th, I hit a great drive. The second shot was a little risky, but it suited the shot shape I like to see. We decided to go for it and we pulled it off. It turned out to be a very rewarding decision.”
Taichi, who finished runner-up on the Japan Golf Tour last week before traveling to Rabat, had six birdies and a solo bogey in his 68.
“It was really good. I started a bit shaky and didn’t feel quite comfortable. However, I think something I’ve learned this year is that I can still play freely and play well despite feeling uncomfortable. So, felt like I rode that momentum well and found the rhythm of the round really well, and towards the end, I felt like I was kind of on a wave, just kept surfing,” said the decorated Hong Kong star, who made a par on the 17th hole despite hitting his tee shot with a new mini-driver into the water.
“I feel like we work the hardest when we are struggling. I think it’s been good for me to kind of take ownership of my game and understand the areas to work on and areas to continue to improve. I have been working on the right things, and seeing good results feels like a bonus.”
Playing in his first tournament in the continent of Africa, Konishi missed just one green in regulation in a brilliant display of ball-striking.
“My shots today were good and I putted really well. The greens are rolling pure,” said Konishi, winner of the Maezawa Cup on Japan Golf Tour last year in April.
“This is the first year that I’ve played outside Japan, so I would be happy if I win tomorrow. If I get a chance, I want to play more tournaments overseas.”
International Series Morocco presented by Visit Morocco is the third leg of the elevated events on the Asian Tour and is being played in Morocco for the fourth time.
