Genesis Open 2018: Bubba Watson Shoots 65 in Round 3 to Take over Lead

Bubba Watson surged to the top of the leaderboard at the Genesis Open in Pacific Palisades, California, on Saturday, shooting a six-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead over Patrick Cantlay.

Watson, who came into the day chasing the co-leaders after Friday, Cantlay and Graeme McDowell, moved to 10 under for the tournament. He has a group of players chasing him, however, with Cantlay hot on the trail and Cameron Smith, Kevin Na, Tony Finau, and McDowell all sitting at eight under.

Watson was superb on Saturday, registering five birdies, an eagle and just one bogey. He averaged a driver distance of 323 yards, hit 61.1 percent of his greens in regulation, had a driving accuracy of 71.4 percent and gained 1.58 strokes putting, per PGATour.com.

As Jason Sobel of ESPN noted, Watson has a chance to end a streak on Sunday he'd likely prefer not holding: 

If he keeps draining birdies like this one on No. 9, it's hard to imagine anyone catching him: 

Watson would probably prefer a few more eagles like this one, however: 

Watson has had a busy weekend. On Friday night, he played in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game, scoring two points and pulling down three boards. He also had a layup attempt savagely denied by former NBA star Tracy McGrady:

"When I saw him, I thought, 'This is my moment to get hurt,'" Watson said on Saturday of McGrady's rejection, per Sobel. "This big tank was coming toward me."

Cantlay may not have McGrady's hops, but he's arguably been the most consistent player at the Genesis Open and poses perhaps the biggest threat to Watson on Sunday. He's shot below 70 in all three rounds, though since posting a 66 on Thursday has notched two straight scores of 69. 

He pulled to one back of Watson with this brilliant birdie on No. 18: 

That type of steady play could be the antidote to Watson, who can run hot and cold (though he's shot below par in all three rounds at the Genesis Open as well). 

Other notable players could make a run as well. Dustin Johnson sits four back, Phil Mickelson five back and Jordan Spieth seven back. It might take a ridiculous round for any of them to play their way back into contention, but if the leaders struggle, it's certainly possible. 

For certain, Sunday promises to be dynamic, with 11 players within four strokes of the lead. But Watson, who said on Friday he had considered retirement due to health issues, said that he was feeling good this weekend.

"We have the shots now," Watson said on Friday of his game, per Brian Wacker of GolfDigest.com. "It's where we wanna be. It's turning out to be a good trend."

That trend continued on Saturday. If it continues one more day, Watson will end his tournament winless streak.