Bubba Watson wins second green jacket

Bubba Watson claimed his second green jacket in three years today.

Watson closed with 3-under-par 69 and won the Masters Tour­nament by three shots over Jonas Blixt (71) and Jordan Speith (72).

Watson, the 2012 Masters champion, birdied Nos. 8 and 9 to take the lead and never looked back, finishing at 8-under-par 280.

Watson, 35, joined 16 other players who have won multiple green jackets.

He opened the final round tied with Spieth at 5-under, then birdied Nos. 6, 8 and 9 to move to 8-under.

Spieth, who was trying to become the youngest Masters winner at age 20, led for most of the front nine.

He birdied the par-5 second, then holed his bunker shot at No. 4 for birdie. After finding the greenside bunker at No. 5 and taking bogey, Spieth bounced back in a big way. He fired his tee shot to 3 feet at No. 6 for birdie. At No. 7, he trickled in a 12-foot, downhill putt for another birdie to extend his lead to two over Watson.

Momentum switched in a hurry after Watson got up and down from the back of the green for birdie at the par-5 eighth. Spieth missed a 4-foot par putt there. Spieth missed another4-foot par putt at No. 9 after missing the green, and Watson rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt for a two-shot lead.

Watson, a former University of Georgia golfer, slammed the door at the par-5 13th hole when his 366-yard drive found the left side of the fairway. His wedge approach to the green set up a two-putt birdie for a three-shot advantage.

Spieth was within a shot of Watson until he found the water at No. 12. Despite recovering for bogey, Spieth couldn’t mount a charge down the stretch.

Miguel Angel Jimenez birdied Nos. 12, 14 and 16 and finished with 71. The 50-year-old finished fourth, his best Masters showing.

Matt Kuchar, a former Georgia Tech standout, briefly led at 6-under after posting birdies at Nos. 2 and 3. After Kuchar double-bogeyed the par-3 fourth, he never recovered. He shot 74 and finished tied for fifth with Rickie Fowler (73) at 2-under-par 286.

Lee Westwood (73) placed seventh, one shot back. Bernhard Langer, a two-time Masters champion, recorded 69 and tied for eighth at 288 with Jimmy Walker (70), Rory McIlroy (69), John Senden (73), Kevin Stadler (73) and Thomas Bjorn (74).

Amateur Oliver Goss shot 75 and finished at 10-over. As the only amateur to survive the cut, he will receive the Silver Cup.