Watney birdies two of last three to

win Buick Invitational title

Nick Watney birdied two of the final three holes to take advantage of a late slump by leader John Rollins in the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines, San Diego in California.
Watney sank a 40ft birdie putt at the par-3 16th, then completed his five-shot rally with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th hole. He closed with a four-under 68 for his second career victory, earning a trip to the Masters.
Rollins had a three-shot lead with five holes to play until making a bogey with a poor chip on the 14th, another bogey from a plugged lie in the bunker on the 16th, and failing to hit the green on the par-5 18th, leading to a par. He shot a 74.
Watney finished at 11-under 277 - the same total Ryuji Imada had last year when he was runner-up by eight shots to Tiger Woods, who has not played since knee surgery after winning the U.S. Open in June at Torrey Pines.
Lucas Glover and Camilo Villegas also had their chances.
Glover briefly was within one shot of the lead and was still in the mix until he pulled his tee shot on the 17th into rough so thick that he had to hit out short of the green and missed a 7-foot par putt. He birdied the last hole for a 68 and tied for third, two shots behind.
Villegas was within one shot until a three-putt from 10 feet on the par-5 sixth, and Rollins' collapse offered the Colombian another chance. But he hit out of the rough and over the green at the 17th to make a bogey, and his 40-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole stopped a few inches above the hole. He closed with a 72.
Watney was five shots behind going into the final round and was an afterthought most of the day, never getting closer than two shots until the tournament swung in his favour on the 16th.
Rollins' tee shot found the left bunker, and the ball resembled a fried egg.
The lie was so severe that the best he could do was blast out across the green and into the rough, 25 feet away. He chipped to two feet for a bogey.
Watney was 40 feet away on the fringe, facing a putt that broke sharply to the left. But the pace was perfect, the ball caught the left edge and dropped and Watney widened his eyes and pumped his fist.
That gave him a tie for the lead, and after they exchanged pars on the 17th, he came up with the shot that mattered on the 18th, finding the top shelf of the green and coaxing his long eagle putt a few feet away.
In the Nationwide Tour event at Panama City, Vance Veazey won the year-opening Panama Championship for his fourth career victory on the No 2 US circuit, beating Garrett Willis with a two-putt par on the second hole of a play-off.
The 43-year-old Veazey, also the 2005 winner at Panama Golf Club, birdied the par-4 18th in regulation to join Willis (66) at 7-under 273. Willis also closed with a birdie, his fourth in the last six holes of regulation.
"I love Panama," said Veazey, the only player in the field with four straight rounds in the 60s. "The people are great. The support is great. The course is great. I love everything about it."
Aberdeen-born Michael Sim faded in the second half of the tournament. He had scores of 68, 71, 69 and 73 to finish joint 23rd on one-over-pr 281