Watney among top young American golfers

But Miller also doesn’t throw around faint praise. So it’s worth taking note when players get a positive review from the astute former PGA Tour standout. Henderson resident Nick Watney can now count himself among those players.

Two weekends back, during the final round of The Players Championship — often dubbed the tour’s fifth major — Watney was still hanging around the lead in the midst of a strong weekend. When the camera broke to the 30-year-old preparing to hit an approach shot, Miller stated that Watney has become one of the top young American golfers.

Four days after the tournament, Watney wasn’t aware of the comment — the negative comments are the ones that tend to make headlines. But Watney was certainly happy to get such notice, from someone with whom he has some history.

“That’s very flattering to hear,” Watney said. “I really respect him. I’ve actually played against his sons when I was a junior golfer in California. He put on a tournament that was one of the best ones we had.

“I just hope I can prove him right.”

If the first half of this season is any indicator, Watney is well on his way to affirming Miller’s analysis.

Watney has been one of the top players on the tour almost from the word “go” this year. He’s played nine tournaments and made the cut eight times. Better still, he’s got five top-10 finishes, along with a tie for 13th and a tie for 20th.

And even better than that, one of the top fives was a victory on Doral’s Blue Monster in the World Golf Championships’ Cadillac Championship in March for his third career victory. He stands fifth on the 2011 money list ($2,791,733) and has moved up to 15th in the world rankings.

At the Players, he fired a 64 in the opening round to take the lead and ultimately tied for fourth after shooting 10-under 278, three strokes behind winner K.J. Choi, who beat David Toms in a playoff.

“It was a lot of fun,” Watney said of shooting 8 under par on the first day at Doral. “I felt like I was in control of my game, which is always a great feeling. Even though I had a couple of mistakes, I had a good round. Those are the times when the game is really fun.”

Watney said the fourth-place finish left room for both satisfaction and a little disappointment.

“I’d say a bit of both, because I didn’t feel like I had by best stuff on Sunday, but I managed to hang around,” said Watney, who shot 71 in the final round. “I was disappointed at being so close. I can sure think of three shots I could have made up.”

His victory at the limited-field WGC Cadillac event came on the strength of his putting, as he shot rounds of 67-70-68-67 for a 16-under 272 total.

“I putted extremely well every day, especially in the final round. That’s what put me over the top,” said Watney, who coming into the event had a tie for fifth, two ties for sixth and a tie for ninth on his 2011 results list. “I kind of felt like I was playing really well, and I just wanted to continue that. I figured if I put myself in good position, good things would happen. That week, I putted really well, and it got me over the hump.”

With his results on the course and the praise coming his way off it, Watney is certainly thinking about winning his first major. And he’s motivated, after a long weekend in April at the Masters, where he tied for 46th at 4-over 292.

“I definitely think about it. I look forward to all the majors and the bigger events,” he said. “But I’ve found that I don’t do well if I go into any tournament thinking about winning it on Thursday. I’ve found through trial and error that if I tee off on Thursday thinking about winning, I don’t perform as well as I’d like.

“I think that’s what happened at the Masters. I was playing well (going into the tournament), and I got a little ahead of myself. I just need to keep working hard and play myself into contention.”

And he believes he knows what he still needs to work on, even as good as he’s played this year.

“I think my short game could definitely improve,” he said. “I played with Luke Donald in the final round at the Players. I think he may have the best short game in the world. I got a clinic from him (that day).”
Indeed, Donald — who tied Watney at the Players — took second this past weekend at the World Match Play Championships in Spain and is ranked second in the world.

“One of the coolest things about the PGA Tour is that you get to see and test your game against the best players in the world,” Watney said. “So it was a lot of fun to play against Luke and see his skills showcased.”

Watney, who has lived in Henderson since 2008 and got married last October, returns to action this week at the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas. And it’s only three more weeks until the U.S. Open, being played this year at the famed Congressional Country Club outside Washington, D.C.

“I think almost every U.S. Open is special — the feel, the tradition and the history,” Watney said. “But to be in the nation’s capital seems kind of fitting.”

And Watney thinks he has the tools to do well at Congressional, which will surely test the entire field with a lengthy 7,574-yard setup at a par of 71.

“One of the strengths of my game is my driving, and that always helps at the U.S. Open,” Watney said. “Congressional is very difficult. … Everybody comes back to par. The greens are hard and fast, I’m sure.

“I’ve played enough majors now, and at the U.S. Open, you just have to plod along. It’s a test of patience, and I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”