CROMWELL, Conn. — Bubba Watson is from a tiny town on the Florida panhandle called Bagdad.
Yet this part of Connecticut, particularly TPC River Highlands, where the Travelers Championship is played, feels like home to him.
Watson has won 12 PGA Tournaments in his career. Three of them — in 2010, 2015 and 2018 — have come at the Travelers.
After shooting a second consecutive 4-under 66 on Friday to get to 8-under and stand one shot out of the 36-hole lead held by Jason Day (9-under), Watson is in position to win for a fourth time.
Day, who shot a scalding 8-under 62 in the second round, though he said he has been experiencing soreness and stiffness, holds a one-shot lead over Watson and Kramer Hickok and a two-shot lead over seven players at 7-under, including Justin Rose and Kevin Kisner, both of whom shot 63 Friday.
Should Watson win, it would tie him with Billy Casper for the most wins in this event.
“It would be with great company, but forget that, just winning here or winning anywhere four times, or four times ever on Tour … all those things add up,’’ Watson said. “It was one of those things where never dreamed I could win that many times, and now at one place having a chance to get four times and tie one of the greats of all-time [would] be a thrill of a lifetime.’’
The funny thing about the Watson relationship with TPC River Highlands is that the marriage got off to a rocky start.
“The first time I ever played here, I shot I think a 74-74 [73-72 and missed cut] and I was like, ‘Man, I’m never coming back here,’ ’’ Watson said. “Then Travelers started coming around to everybody and saying, ‘Hey, we’re going change the range.’ The old range here, you couldn’t hit driver. So, they said they were going to change that and start doing better for the players and caddies, trainers, physios.
“There was a lot of things they were going to do to amp up [the tournament]. It brought a different atmosphere. The crowd got behind it, the community.’’
Watson, too, was moved by the tournament’s involvement with The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, which is a year-round center serving children and their families coping with cancer and other serious illnesses and conditions and is a beneficiary of money raised by the tournament.
“Finding my way through life you do different things in your life that are so impactful, meaningful, and going to the different places around here like, ‘Hole in the Wall Gang Camp,’ seeing that, feeling the energy of these kids, listening to their songs that they sang for me and my wife at lunch, was amazing,’’ Watson said. “Then, my first win here [came] with my dad watching [in 2010]. So many things that happened with my family at this place, this community. It just means so much to us.
“So, when I get here, I just feel energized. I feel like the people are behind me and they’re pulling for me.’’
Watson, too, is a classic horses-for-courses case study. Eight of his PGA Tour wins have come on three courses — the three at TPC River Highlands, three at Riviera in Los Angeles and two at Augusta National.
“If you look at some of [my favorite] courses, it’s always courses you can move the ball forward,’’ Watson said. “It’s no fun for me to have to chip out sideways from the rough. But out of rough [at this course], you can always move it forward. Augusta, you can still hit shots, even though they have a little rough now. You can play shots out of the trees, off the pine straw, out of that little bit of rough.
“L.A., [where] I’ve won a few times as well [at Riviera], there is not really any rough. You can maneuver the ball from many different spots on that golf course. Same thing as here.’’
Watson, for example, has never been a strong U.S. Open player. After a good first two days of the Open last week at Torrey Pines (72-67), he flamed out on the weekend with 77-76 to finish in a tie for 50th.
Watson clearly felt liberated when he arrived here.
“When you come off the U.S. Open, everything seems easier,’’ he said. “I feel like after the U.S. Open, this is light rough. Even though this is heavy rough, it’s still lighter than U.S. Open and you feel like you can always move the ball forward. Any golf course where I feel like I can always move it forward from the rough [to] the fairway, then I feel good around it.’’
It all makes Watson perhaps the player to watch over the weekend.