Fans of professional golf took notice during the WGC-HSBC Champions competition in Shanghai, China, recently, when Bubba Watson sent a bunker shot into the 18th hole. Critics say that he used a conventional swing in an unconventional setting, which allowed him to move the ball out of the sand and toward the green. News outlets noted that typically, golfers in the bunker will minimize sand cut and take the ball high out of the bunker with some spin.
Watson, however, used the same swing he likely would have used on the green. He drew up a good deal of sand but achieved quite a bit of distance and flight, which sent the ball directly to the green. At the time, he needed an eagle to recover from a double bogey and secure himself a place in the playoffs. The ball traveled straight from the bunker into the hole, and Watson won the resultant playoff to secure his seventh tour title.