Byron Nelson Recap: Aussie at Home in Texas

The final group on Sunday at the water-logged AT&T Byron Nelson featured leader Steven Bowditch along with Dustin Johnson and Scott Pinckney, two strokes back in a five-way tie for second. Johnson was the clear betting favorite among Vegas oddsmakers. But they forgot to take one thing into account: The TPC Four Seasons near Dallas is a special place for Bowditch.

The Texan-by-way-of-Australia shot a 5-under 64 to win going away, by four strokes over Pinckney, Jimmy Walker and Charley Hoffman. It was the second PGA Tour victory for Bowditch, both coming in Lone Star State, and this one came at the same venue he celebrated his wedding nearly four years ago.

By now, Bowditch's "story" is well-known in golf circles, and even among the general public after he won in San Antonio last year. For years, he battled clinical depression.

A decade ago, the Aussie "threw a dart" at a map. It landed in North Texas, and so did Bowditch. Soon after, his illness worsened.

In 2006, he made only 2-of-22 cuts on tour, with two withdrawals and four disqualifications. In 2007, 1-of-5 cuts. In 2008, 2-of-16 cuts. In 2009, 7-of-20 cuts, but with two top-10s. He eventually overcame the depression, and he married in 2011.

When Bowditch won last year in San Antonio, it seemed like an aberration; it was his only top-10 in 30 starts. This season began with a runner-up at the Frys, but he didn't register another top-10 until now.

Bowditch, 32 next week, was in control from the get-go. He opened with an 8-under 62 and never looked back, becoming the first to go wire-to-wire at the Nelson since Tom Watson in 1980. Bowditch followed with 68-65-64 for an 18-under total of 259, a tournament record.

Doing the math, par for the four rounds was 277 – an odd number, perhaps for the first time in tour history. That's because the brutal par-4 14th was turned into a pitch-and-putt par-3 the last three days because the fairway was waterlogged. Par was under 70 for the first time as far back as the PGA Tour could determine.

On Sunday, Bowditch fell into a tie for the lead with two bogies early, after Johnson had chip-in birdies on Nos. 1 and 3. But that was erased, and more, with a quadruple-bogey 8 on the eighth hole, while Bowditch birdied. A five-shot swing on one hole.

While others made a run, most notably Zach Johnson with a 63, Bowditch played the final 10 holes in five-under.

So where do gamers go from here with Bowditch? He was released in the RotoWire League earlier this season, and with good reason. But his raw power combined with a rather nimble short game for a big man means he can contend. He just doesn't seem to do it all that often. But he does do it in Texas.

He was playing in his special place. He and wife Amanda posed for pictures with the championship trophy on the 18th green, where almost four years earlier they posed with other shiny objects -- their wedding rings.

MONDAY TAKEAWAY

Jimmy Walker

The Texan grabbed a share of the lead when Bowditch stumbled on the front nine, but bogies on Nos. 11 and 12 ended his chances, even with an eagle-birdie stretch on Nos. 16 and 17. Still, it was a welcome sign for Walker's owners, who had not seen their golfer crack the top 35 since winning the Valero two months ago. We've talked before about how Walker annually falters as the year progresses. We'll see if his blunts that trend this year.

Scott Pinckney

The rookie out of Arizona State notched his best career showing, in his 20th PGA Tour event. That follows a T6 in Puerto Rico, a T8 in San Antonio and a T12 in New Orleans. Pinckney has had some ups and downs -- six missed cut in 18 starts this season – but that's to be expected from a young player. He'll get plenty of time to improve, as he has earned enough to lock up his card for next season. Can a win be in the offing?

Zach Johnson

Johnson is 25th in the world rankings but only 49th in the FedEx point standings – and that's after a solo fifth at the Nelson. So clearly his numbers don't jibe. Johnson has nine top-25s and five top-10s this season, but this was his best showing of the lot. Johnson has won the past three seasons and seven of the past eight, so it's hard to say he won't win again this year. But something does seem "off" in his game, Sunday's round of the day notwithstanding.

Jon Curran

Curran is quietly having a decent debut season on tour. He's 86th in points after notching his fourth top-10. But unlike Pinckney, tying for sixth at the Nelson was not his best showing; he lost in playoff in Puerto Rico back in February. If you're looking to add someone to your team, you could do worse than Curran.

Dustin Johnson

The tournament was plagued by heavy rain, but there was also a snowman, courtesy of Johnson. Tied for the lead, he sent his drive on No. 6 out of bounds to the right, then went way left into the hay on the re-tee. It was a tournament-crushing moment for Johnson, something we thought was a thing of the past with the new father, now supposedly a more mature golfer. Despite being seventh in points and moving up to eighth in the OWGR, Johnson had been leaking oil for weeks. And even though he tied for eighth this week, it could've been so much more.

Jason Dufner

There's been a Jason Dufner sighting! Tying for eighth with Johnson, Dufner recorded his best cash of the season. He's only 69th in points. Has his well-publicized divorce hurt his game? It would seem to hurt anybody's game. Is Dufner now ready to rekindle his game? Until we see otherwise, we're going to treat this as a one-shot for the Duf.

Will Wilcox

Wilcox lost his card last year, so he's been having trouble getting into fields. The Nelson was only his eighth tournament of the season – but he has four top-25s, including T22 this past week. He's only 149th in points, so Wilcox will still struggle to enter fields. There's only one way out of it for him: more strong finishes.

Jonathan Randolph

The rookie was enjoying the week of his brief PGA Tour life. In 16 starts this season, Randolph had missed nine cuts. He had one top-25 -- last week at the Wells Fargo. So when he shot 69-63-65 to head into Sunday tied for second, he had a chance to make a real move in his career, not to mention his wallet. But the Mississippi native imploded with a five-over 74 to tumble to T34. Still, he bears watching.

Joe Affrunti

Speaking of tumbling ... Affrunti is an incredible story. He's 33, but has played only 19 PGA tournaments across 11 injury-marred years on tour. He's made only six cuts. He's still a rookie! He's on a major medical extension, and this was only his second start this season. Affrunti found himself T7 heading into Sunday – and this is where the tumbling comes in. He shot the high round of the day, 75, to plunge to T46. He won $18,460, his first cash in almost two years. That's not going to make much of a dent in his MME, as he has six starts left to reap nearly $600,000.

Richard Sterne

Speaking of golfers who don't cash ... Sterne is an accomplished golfer out of South Africa with numerous worldwide wins, and he tied for fourth in the WGC-Cadillac Championship last year. This year, his first on the PGA Tour, has been a disaster. He tied for 39th at the Nelson to secure his first check of the season, in his 11th start. Drinks on Sterne! ... No? Oh.