It played out just as Watson imagined, right down to Mickelson's caddie tending the pin on the eagle attempt.
There was just one twist – Mickelson wasn't anywhere near the green.
In a surprising decision that gave way to brief drama, Mickelson laid up on the 18th hole and had to settle for a birdie when his lob wedge from 72 yards away stopped 4 feet short of the hole.
The first PGA TOUR event of the year featuring both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson is done. And yet it's Bubba Watson who has claimed the Farmers Insurance Open.
Watson used his prodigious length off the tee to put himself in favorable positions all day — he used a pitching wedge for a second shot to the green on one par 5 — and birdied all four of the par 5s on the Torrey Pines course. He added two other birdies and a bogey for a five-under 67 in his final round.
Watson finished his round with a 16-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that moved him to 16 under 272 for the tournament and helped him stay ahead of Phil Mickelson, despite Mickelson finishing with a birdie to move to 15 under.
Watson, whose father died after a battle with throat cancer last year, teared up in a post-round interview while saying hello to his mother.
Dustin Johnson finished third, one shot back of Mickelson.
Rookie Jhonattan Vegas, who finished fourth, is now atop the FedEx Cup rankings after a strong early season. He is the first rookie to do so.
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