DORAL, Fla. — Rory McIlroy thought he might have a chance at 59. Tiger Woods opened with three straight birdies and made a charge of his own. None of this bothered Bubba Watson, who figured he could go just as low Saturday at the Cadillac Championship.
All the noise about McIlroy and Woods soon vanished when Watson started eagle-birdie.
And even when Justin Rose ran off four straight birdies to catch him, Watson responded with a style of golf only he plays. He plunked a man in the gallery on one hole and regained the lead with a birdie. His target on another hole was a man in an orange shirt, and he hit that one to tap-in range for another birdie.
When his wild day ended with what Watson called his best shot of the day — “I chipped a low bullet 7-iron” — on the 18th for a routine par on a hole that makes him nervous, he had a 5-under-par 67 and a three-shot lead. Now he’s one round away from his first World Golf Championship.
Watson was at 17-under 199, three shots clear of PGA champion Keegan Bradley (66) and Rose, who lost out on playing with Watson for the fourth straight day when he three-putted the 18th from long range and had to settle for a 69.
As for McIlroy and Woods? They were eight shots behind after shooting 65 and 68, respectively.
