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Bubba Watson rolls to victory in Tiger Woods-hosted Hero Challenge in Bahamas

Bubba Watson poses with the trophy after his three-stroke victory at the Hero World Challenge in Nassau, Bahamas.

Bubba Watson poses with the trophy after his three-stroke victory at the Hero World Challenge in Nassau, Bahamas.

(Scott Halleran / Getty Images)
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Bubba Watson, who originally wasn’t even planning to play in the Hero Challenge, rolled to a three-shot victory Sunday in the Tiger Woods-hosted invitational event at Nassau, the Bahamas.

Watson quickly stretched his two-shot lead by making four birdies in seven holes. He was never seriously challenged, sailing home to a six-under 66 for a three-shot victory over Patrick Reed at Albany Golf Club.

Watson turned down his invitation a few months ago because he didn’t have a passport for his newly adopted daughter, Dakota. But when PGA Championship winner Jason Day backed out to stay home with his newborn daughter, Watson’s wife was able to expedite all the right documents for the family to come to the Bahamas. He left with a $1 million payoff and a firm grasp on the No. 4 world ranking the rest of the year.

Watson didn’t make a bogey all weekend until the final hole, which cost him nothing more than the tournament record. He finished at 25-under 263, one shot from Jordan Spieth’s record last year at Isleworth.

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Australia’s Marc Leishman won the Nedbank Challenge for his first European Tour title, closing with a five-under 67 for a six-stroke victory at Sun City, South Africa. Leishman, who lost a playoff at the British Open this year, finished at 19-under 269 and earned $1.25 million. Sweden’s Henrik Stenson was second.

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Australia’s Nathan Holman won the Australian PGA, beating American Harold Varner III and South Africa’s Dylan Frittelli with a par on the first hole of a playoff in Gold Coast, Australia.

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China’s Simin Feng completed a wire-to-wire victory in the LPGA Tour qualifying tournament at Daytona Beach, Fla., to regain a full exemption. Feng, 20, closed with a three-under 69 at LPGA International for an 18-under 342 total and a seven-stroke victory. The top 20 earned full cards, and Nos. 21-45 and ties received conditional status.

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