It’s not elemental for Bubba Watson at Bob Hope Classic

Reporting from La Quinta — 

Ten players are within four shots of the lead going into the fifth and final round of the Bob Hope Classic golf tournament today.

Nine of them can thank Bubba Watson for their good fortune.

Watson, a 31-year-old non-winner on the PGA Tour, clutched a two-shot lead as he played his final hole Sunday. When he was finished, Watson was tied for the 72-hole lead.

Watson stared into nowhere as he described what happened on that last hole, played on the Nicklaus PGA West course, a par four. He used a four-wood off the tee. And then a seven-iron.

“I tried to cut the ball instead of just playing a draw with a different club,” Watson said. “I knew it wasn’t cutting as soon as I hit it.”

Watson pounded his forehead as he watched that uncut seven-iron bounce into the water.

“Made a great one-foot putt for a six,” Watson said of his closing double bogey.

Watson’s three-under-par 69 left him at 23 under par. Rookie Alex Prugh, a 25-year-old University of Washington graduate, is tied with Watson after his two-under 70 on the SilverRock Resort course.

Tied for third, one shot back, are South African Tim Clark and Bill Haas, the 37-year-old son of 1988 Bob Hope winner Jay Haas.

If Haas was to win, he and his dad would be the eighth father-son combo to have tour wins. It hasn’t been done since Brent Geiberger (son of Al Geiberger) won the Greater Hartford Open in 1999.

Mike Weir, the highest-ranked golfer in the field (37th in the world), is tied for sixth, three strokes back, after his fourth consecutive 67.

The 90-hole tournament, which was rained out Thursday, will finish on a Monday for only the third time in its 51-year history.

The Hope Classic doesn’t make a cut until after 72 holes and some of the tournament’s better-known names won’t be playing the final round, including David Duval, Chad Campbell, Rocco Mediate and local favorite Rickie Fowler, who all failed to earn spots in the final round.

After more than three inches of rain fell Wednesday and Thursday, the weather was desert perfect the last two days. The green grass at the Palmer PGA West course was good enough to eat, at least for a group of bighorn sheep who wandered out for some mid-afternoon munching near the 16th hole.

But with no meteorological impediments, some of the leaders made their own mistakes.

Prugh, making only his third tour start, missed a four-foot putt on his final hole to take a bogey.

Joe Ogilvie, one of the few in the top 10 who has actually won a PGA-level event, had a double bogey at No. 17 at La Quinta Country Club and then blamed his caddie.

“He was about 30 yards off,” Ogilvie said.

Watson accepted his final-hole double bogey with equanimity. His theory?

“[Today] is going to be a tough day no matter if I had the lead, was tied for the lead or am one back or five back,” Watson said.

“It’s going to be a battle between me and the golf course. And the other people are going to be doing the same. They’re going to try and beat me. I’m going to try and beat them.”

Besides Watson, Prugh, Haas and Clark also haven’t won on tour.

“Maybe I’ll get the one [shot] to luckily fall in and win one,” Watson said.

diane.pucin@latimes.com

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