Bubba Watson Chasing First Win In Eight Years

Bubba Watson in action at the Asian Tour's International Series Morocco — (Image credit: Asian Tour)

Bubba Watson heads into the weekend tied for the lead at the International Series Morocco as he chases a first title in almost exactly eight years.

Watson, who Golf Monthly followed around in the first round of the Asian Tour event at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat, shot 66 on Friday to join Pavit Tangkamolprasert at the top of the leaderboard.

Both men sit on 11 under after 36 holes with Tangkamolprasert shooting 70 on Friday, with the pair leading by one shot over Younghan Song, with still plenty of players out on the course.

Watson's last tournament victory came on the PGA Tour at the Travelers Championship in June 2018.

Two-time Masters champion Watson hasn't managed to win yet on LIV Golf as he approaches the end of his fourth season.

The RangeGoats captain has one runner-up spot, at the 2025 LIV Golf UK event, and arrived in Morocco on the back of his best LIV result of the season - a ninth-placed finish in Andalucia.

Watson was in great form in Rabat too, as he carded eight birdies against just one bogey in his second round of 66.

That means the 47-year-old will be in the final pairing on Saturday and well in touch of ending his long wait for a tournament victory.

There are some decent players in hot pursuit though, with Australian Travis Smyth and defending champion in Morocco Scott Vincent just two shots off the leaders.

Sergio Garcia, who had his wife Angela on his bag as he made his very first trip to Morocco, shot a one-under 72 but sitting on level par at the end of his round he's looking likely to miss the cut.

Click here for the full International Series Morocco leaderboard.

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Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.