A charismatic left-hander claimed the prize at the 2011 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in La Jolla on Sunday.

Not the local lefty favorite Phil Mickelson, but the one named Bubba, Bubba Watson. Watson answers fans' questions via Twitter and posts candid videos on the Web being himself, which is to say wearing his heart on his sleeve.

He cried unabashedly when he won last year while his father, who eventually died, was battling cancer. His candor has earned him popularity among his followers.

"It means a lot," Watson said of his second career title, choking back tears. "Every one's special. You don't know if you're going to have them again or not. I'm probably going to cry all day just like I did last time. Mom, I love you."

The prototypical PGA Tour pro may insist the pressure during a final round never gets to them. Watson, though, is far from typical.

"I was scared to death out there. I kept telling myself I've done it before. I've hit many golf balls. I can do this. I've shot many low rounds before. Just this time it happens to be with a crowd, media and the world watching."

Watson started the day as the second-most-popular left-hander on the course, but finished first among the fans and atop the leader board. The win also earned him $1,044,000.

For all the attention paid to his prodigious, loopy drives, Watson's short game is just as solid. After missing his approach long on the 17th hole, and clinging to a one-stroke lead, he calmly drained a nine-footer to save par and retained it going into his final hole.

Watson's 186-yard approach shot to the par 5 final hole landed in a back left bunker. His subsequent shot out of the sand left him with a ticklish downhill 12-footer. He calmly sank that to extend the lead to two strokes and eventually claim the title.

Tied for the lead at the beginning of the day, Mickelson lost it in short order with a bogey on the par 3 third hole. He earned the shot back at the par 5 No. 9 and birdied the par 4 13th, but surrendered the momentum by bunkering his approach to the par 4 for No. 14 and failing to get up and down.

After two consecutive pars and running out of holes, Mickelson hit his approach to No. 17 to within a few feet and sunk the putt. For the moment, he was one back with one to play.

Watson's birdie on the final hole left him needing eagle to tie and force a playoff. A missed fairway necessitated a lay up and a needed dunked approach for a closing three. Mickelson paced it off before giving the crowd one last near-thrill.

It landed a few feet beyond the hole. The birdie putt left him in second.

Though disappointed with the second-place finish, Mickelson refused to beat himself up over it.

"It's been a fun week," he said. "I love playing here in San Diego and I've really missed being in contention. So for me to have an opportunity today was really exciting, especially on the back nine. Trying to match those two guys shot for shot and trying to catch them, it was just a lot of fun."

Jhonattan Vegas, the big Venezuelan, had designs on winning his second consecutive tournament for a time.

Fresh off a playoff win at last week's Bob Hope Classic, he began the day in fourth, and had the one of the best rounds of the day going, standing at 5 under until he hit his drive into the rough off the 18th tee. Then, his 5-iron out of the rough from 202 yards found Devlin's Billabong.

After three days of picture-perfect weather, the golf gods decided enough was enough. The final day began with overcast conditions and a 40 percent chance of rain. Late in the final round, it became 100 percent as showers and sprinkles anointed players and spectators.

Tiger Woods, the game's undisputed No. 1 player before some well-documented personal matters prompted him to take considerable time off in 2010 and lose his top-ranked perch, failed to regain his first-round form.

It was his first appearance at Torrey Pines since his memorable U.S. Open win in 2008.

For much of the tournament, he had the look of a pitcher at spring training attempting to regain control of his repertoire. He closed Sunday with a 75, three over par, and finished the tournament tied for 44th.

"I have some work to do," he said at the conclusion of Sunday's round. "There's no doubt about that."

While Woods was having a forgettable round, local amateur Anthony Paolucci, a La Jolla Country Day senior, enjoyed an experience he'll never forget. After making the cut on Friday, he shot level par on Saturday and Sunday and ended up ahead of Woods in a tie for 29th.

"I don't know how to put into words," he said of the experience. "Every minute out there, it's awesome. I enjoyed every minute of it."