LOS ANGELES — Bubba Watson ended two years without winning with his third victory at Riviera.

Watson seized control Sunday with two par putts as everyone around him was dropping shots, then pulled ahead by holing a bunker shot on the par-3 14th hole. He closed with a 2-under 69 for a two-shot victory in the Genesis Open over Kevin Na and Tony Finau, and more tears on the 18th green. It was his first victory since he won at Riviera two years ago and rose to No. 4 in the world.

Watson showed up this year at No. 117, coming off a year filled with so many doubts that he says he discussed retirement with his wife on a dozen occasions. If anything, the only talk of retirement should be whether to settle down off Sunset Boulevard. He joined Ben Hogan and Lloyd Mangrum as three-time winners at Riviera.

Na hit a wedge close to perfection from the worst angle on the reachable par-4 10th hole for a birdie and two-putted for birdie on the 11th to briefly take the lead. He fell back with consecutive bogeys from the trees and shot 69. Finau lurked all day. His last chance was an eagle putt on the 17th that stopped inches short of the hole.

Patrick Cantlay had a one-shot lead going to the back nine until he ran into tree trouble on the 12th and 13th holes. The UCLA alum could do no better than pars the rest of the way for a 71 to tie for fourth with Scott Stallings (68).

Phil Mickelson was within one shot of the lead when he hit a 4-iron from a deep bunker on the 15th hole to just right of the green. But he went after birdie and watched the ball roll 20 feet down the hill, leading to bogey. He shot 68 and tied for sixth.

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CHAMPIONS TOUR: Joe Durant birdied the final two holes – and got some help from Steve Stricker – to win the Chubb Classic at Naples, Florida.

Durant shot a 5-under 67 for a four-stroke victory over Stricker (70), David Toms (65), Lee Janzen (68), Billy Mayfair (64) and Tim Petrovic (64).

Tied with Durant with two holes left, Stricker dropped a stroke back when Durant birdied the par-5 17th. On the par-4 18th, Stricker hit into the water and made a double bogey for a three-shot swing.

LPGA: Jin Young Ko of South Korea, playing in her first event as an LPGA Tour member, closed with a 3-under 69 to complete a wire-to-wire victory in the Women’s Australian Open at Adelaide.

Ko led by four shots going into the final round. Hyejin Choi (67) pulled within one shot at the turn, but Ko made birdie on No. 9 and pulled away with two more birdies to win by three shots over Choi. Hannah Green (69) of Australia was alone in third, another stroke back.

Ko became the second player to win a title in her first start as a member of the tour, the first since Beverly Hanson in 1951.

EUROPEAN TOUR: Joost Luiten of the Netherlands won the inaugural Oman Open at Muscat for his first victory in nearly 17 months.

The 32-year-old Dutchman closed with a 4-under 68 to finish on 16-under 272, two shots ahead England’s Chris Wood (69). The win moved Luiten into the top 10 in the Race to Dubai.


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