Zurich Classic round four: It's OK Nick, you can celebrate now

What a gifted golfer Nick Watney is. But what an oddly diffident guy too. After that amazing eagle on the fifth he half-heartedly raised his arms as if to say, “Mmmm, guess I should celebrate now huh?” Same thing after his victory putt on the 18th: you’d have thought he’d just won a night for two at the local cinema rather than a ticket to the Masters. How very un-American.

The Zurich Classic finale, though, was very American - nine out of the top ten sported the stars and stripes and the top of the pile was also very much a story of new kids on the block. So who says America is short of up-and-coming talent?

Of course the tournament flattered to deceive, with one of the poorest fields we will see all year, yes even past the cut-off date for the FedUp Cup (this non-competition and the incessant plugs for it are beginning to tick me off). As I suspected, Watney and Ken Duke were fortunate to be left alone in their own little bubble, unchallenged by the rest of the field. Which is why I am circumspect about predictions that Watney will win again before he reaches Augusta. He’s still got a bit to prove in tougher competition.
Having said that, those that decry his victory because of that “jammy” eagle are way wide of the mark. Given the pressure he put himself under by dropping two shots at the start, it was just reward for one several exceptionally accurate fairway shots to the pin. Why wouldn’t one of them go in?

Round of the day, though, surely goes to Anthony Kim, who now holds the Sunday course record of 65. It’s not hard to see why he also is being touted as a winner soon. But he needs to be more consistent - Sunday’s blazing round couldn’t make up for the two in the 70s that dragged him down all weekend.