Bubba Watson dispatches heckler with majestic bow after draining clutch birdie at Memorial

After a walk-off birdie to put a heckler in his place on Saturday, Bubba Watson’s in position to win his first PGA Tour event in more than a year.

If Bubba Watson goes on to win this week’s Memorial Tournament, he may look back at the way he ended Saturday’s third round — with a long clutch putt for birdie on the 18th that put a heckler in his place — as the momentum needed to snare his first PGA Tour victory since the 2016 Northern Trust Open a year ago February.

After Watson sank the walk-off, 19-foot putt as his caddie Ted Scott sought out the rude spectator who had been loudly, and apparently profanely, needling the two-time Masters winner on his way to his final green of the day, he aimed a magnificent bow in the direction of his antagonist.

Watson, who began Sunday’s third round four shots behind frontrunner Daniel Summerhays, described what happened after signing for his second straight 68 of the tournament at Muirfield Village.

“It started early … about 50 yards short of the green,” Watson told reporters. “He kept going. I’m taking a guess, he wasn’t drinking water like I was all day.

“But it’s one of those things,” the normally thin-skinned Watson explained. “I don’t mind a heckler, but when kids are around and stuff, you try to be quiet about it if you’re going to use the wrong language.”

Watson said he would not have cared if he three-putted (which we believe was probably a bit of an exaggeration on his part) as long as he were able “to get him out of here because I don’t think that’s right.

“I’m out here trying to grind and get better at the game. I wasn’t yelling at him. I didn’t like for him to yell at me, calling me a bunch of names and different things. I told Teddy, ’Watch over there, when I get over this putt he’s going to yell something.’ That was common sense. When I got over to do my practice strokes, he started yelling.

“I said, ‘That’s it. Teddy, will you tell me who it is, and let’s get the police officer,’” Watson added. “Teddy got the wrong guy first, but then they pointed him out. I did sign a glove for that guy who got handcuffed first — no, I’m just playing with you. Nobody was handcuffed. By the way, that was a joke. Bubba said a joke again.”

Watson, with just two top-10 finishes to go with four missed cuts in 10 starts this year, got off to a quick start in Sunday’s finale, with three birdies in his first six holes. Through six, he held a one-shot lead over Rickie Fowler and Summerhays.