Watson vaults 50 spots in Ryder Cup standings

[February 20, 2018]  Bubba Watson vaulted 50 spots to No. 10 in the United States Ryder Cup team points standings following his victory at the Genesis Open on Sunday.

Watson earned 1,296 points with the victory -- he entered the tournament with just 285.7. He is just two spots outside of one of the eight automatic spots on the team that will be determined following the PGA Championship in August. The four remaining spots will be Captain's Selections by Jim Furyk.

Watson pointed to missing out on the 2016 Ryder Cup team as part of the reason for his slide over the past two years. He was not a captain's pick despite being ranked No. 7 in the world at the time.

Watson struggled throughout 2017, including with an undisclosed illness that led to a significant weight loss, and entered the Genesis Open ranked 117th in the world with no top-30 finishes over his previous six tournaments. He rose to 40th in the world golf rankings following his win at Riviera Country Club.

"The last two years," Watson said about what brought on his emotional reaction after winning. "If you think about it, let's go back even to the Ryder Cup (in 2016). I was seventh in the world, didn't get picked for the Ryder Cup ... which I shouldn't have. It was a thrill of a lifetime to be vice-captain, and I would do it again in a heartbeat if someone let me.

"So from that downfall of a letdown and not making the team. And then to get sick, lose all this weight ... all those things added in. Not knowing if you're ever going to make it again, you don't know. We can't predict what's going to happen around the corner. So you never know if it's going to be the last time. I don't want it to be, I'm an athlete and I want to keep going. The emotion was just that. Like, 'Wow, I still have a chance in this game.'"

There were no changes among the top nine spots in the rankings, with Dustin Johnson extending his lead at the top with 111.6 points earned at the Genesis Open. Injured Brooks Koepka remained No. 2, followed by Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Matt Kuchar, Brian Harman, Gary Woodland, Rickie Fowler and Chez Reavie.

Watson moved ahead of Phil Mickelson, who did climb one spot to No. 11 with the 241.2 points he earned. Patrick Reed, Patton Kizzire, James Hahn and Kevin Chappell round out the top 15.

--Field Level Media

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