AUGUSTA — Bye, bye, Bubba? Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson had a dreadful 78 on Friday and, at 8-over par, left himself on the wrong side of the cut line at Augusta National.
Watson won this major in 2012 and 2014 but has struggled here the past three years. He finished 38th while trying to defend his title in 2015, then 37th a year ago.
Watson never got on track this time, shooting 74-78. On Friday, he opened with five bogeys on his first six holes and could not recover. Watson had a brief flourish, with consecutive birdies on the eighth and ninth holes. Yet three more bogeys on the back nine appeared to have sealed his fate.
Without a stunning reversal over the next few hours, Watson will miss the cut for the first time in nine career Masters appearances.
