Monday 26 March 2018 00:34, UK
Bubba Watson set his sights on the Masters and the Ryder Cup after being crowned WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play champion in Austin.
Watson continued his impressive resurgence in form this year with two dominant victories on the final day as he thwarted Justin Thomas' bid to become world No 1 in the semi-finals before crushing a lacklustre Kevin Kisner in a one-sided final.
The 39-year-old ended two years without a victory at the Genesis Open last month, and he will now head to Augusta National full of confidence as he bids to become only the ninth player to win at least three Masters titles following his previous triumphs in 2012 and 2014.
But he is also determined to qualify for September's Ryder Cup as a player having missed out on selection in 2016 at Hazeltine, where Davis Love III overlooked him for a captain's pick and added Watson as an assistant captain instead.
And as he received his second World Golf Championship title, Watson was quick to send a message to this year's Team USA captain Jim Furyk.
"I'm really excited," Watson said. "I know I'm not supposed to say this, but I really hope Jim Furyk is watching, because I really want to play in France. I want to be a vice-captain, but I'd rather play."
Watson will now take a short break with his family, a day later than they had originally planned, before he heads to Augusta to begin his preparations for the first major of the season.
"Truly I know that we're supposed to make a big deal out of Augusta and everything, but it's a golf tournament," he added. "All the guys here have a chance to win any week, but I'm confident, obviously, having two wins in 2018.
"So if I miss the cut, I still have two wins to fall back on so far. But, yeah, when I get there, I'm going to look forward to it and hopefully I can get this focus and my putter rolling like it is."
While Watson celebrated the 11th professional title of his career, Alex Noren claimed third place with a confident 5&3 victory over world No 2 Justin Thomas in Sunday's consolation match.
Noren was frustrated at missing a number of chances down the stretch in his semi-final tussle with Kisner, who advanced to the final with a birdie at the first extra hole.
But the Swede was delighted with his performance overall during the week and feels good about his game ahead of only his second appearance at Augusta National.
"There was a little bit of anger that we didn't win this morning, but we played for a lot of points this afternoon and I'm happy with the way I played," said Noren. "The game is better, and I'm looking forward to the Masters.
"It's going to be nice, and It's perfect for me. I gained a lot of confidence from this week because match play is tough. You're trying your hardest on every shot, so it's a good warm-up.
"It feels good to have a week off now and recharge my batteries, see my coaches and fine-tune what wasn't going so well this week, and then we'll work on what is going well. I'm looking forward to it."