Missing Eight-Inch Putt Is Not Enough to Shake Bradley

Michael Bradley marked the ball, set it back down, stroked it and then stood stunned on the 11th green at the Doral-Ryder Open in Miami as the eight-inch putt spun around the cup and stayed out.

“I still don’t know what happened,” Bradley said Sunday after he somehow managed to regroup after one of the shortest missed putts ever on the PGA Tour.

Shorter ones have been missed, perhaps, but only through carelessness.

“I went through my routine,” Bradley said. “I was trying, but it did a 360-degree horseshoe.”

Amazingly, on another wind-blown day at the Blue Monster, it was Bradley’s only bogey as he closed with a 71 to finish at 10-under-par 278, one stroke better than John Huston and Billy Mayfair.

It was Bradley’s second career victory. Huston, whose 67 was bettered by no one in the last round, was trying for his second victory this year.

“You have to give Michael credit,” Huston said. “He hung in there.”

Mayfair, who defeated Tiger Woods in a playoff last week, was trying for his second victory in a row after going more than two years without one.

But a bogey on the 17th hole when he missed a 3 1/2-foot putt did in Mayfair despite his closing with a 69.

“I gave myself a great chance to win,” Mayfair said. “I’m proud of the fact that I won last week and came back this week and nearly won.”

Vijay Singh, Stewart Cink and Mike Brisky finished at 281, three strokes back, and Davis Love III--who matched Huston’s closing 67--and Scott Hoch were at 282.

Woods, who started the day three strokes behind Bradley, didn’t get his game in gear until it was too late, managing to have only two birdie putts inside 35 feet on the front nine and playing the four par-fives on the first 12 holes at the Blue Monster one over par.

Woods shot a 73 and finished at 283.

*

Scotland’s Andrew Coltart won his first European Tour title, capturing the $1-million Qatar Masters by two strokes at Doha, Qatar.

Coltart birdied three of the first five holes and made two more birdies on the back nine for a five-under-par 67. He finished the tournament with a 270 total, 18-under-par.

England’s Andrew Sherborne, who had led by two shots after the third round, carded a 71 and wound up tied for second with Sweden’s Patrik Sjoland at 272.