HUMBLE, Texas (AP) — Bubba Watson still loves when fans marvel at his booming tee shots, but he admits that the label of the PGA Tour's longest hitter is starting to get old.
What Watson wants is a victory and he's focused on honing the rest of his game to complement his gigantic drives.
He inched closer to his elusive first win on Friday, sinking two long birdie putts and shooting a 5-under 67 that tied him for the lead after two rounds at the Houston Open.
"I'm trying to learn the game, trying to learn what makes me good," said Watson, whose best career finish is a tie for third at Tucson last year. "I'm a lot better at this point than I was last year at this point. I just want a 'W.' Just get me a win."
Defending champion Stuart Appleby, Jason Gore, D.J. Brigman and Texans Bob Estes and Jeff Maggert also were 6 under after two rounds, and Hunter Mahan, Tommy Armour III and Tom Byrum were one shot back.
The left-handed Watson, who taught himself the game, leads the tour in average driving distance (313.5 yards), but the stat has netted him widely varied results this year.
He missed the cut at the Bob Hope, then finished tied for fourth in San Diego and tied for eighth in Phoenix. He came to Houston after missing two cuts in his last three starts.
"It's just on me," he said. "I don't ask for help. I just try to make myself better. And so I'm trying to stay more focused, not let stuff bother me."
Watson missed seven of 14 fairways on Friday, but hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation. He needed only 28 putts, down from 33 on Thursday.
He wants to feel the pressure of competition on Sunday, even though he's still not sure he can handle it.
"I'm getting close. The nerves are still going to come this weekend," he said. "I feel like my game is starting to come around and my mental game is starting to get better. Now, it's probably 25 percent instead of 10 percent."
