The Natural
We had already done the layout on our Bubba
Watson feature when the guy
goes and wins the Masters.
Rewrite!
PROfile
His Favorite Color Might Be Pink,
But He Has a Heart of Gold
(and a Jacket of Green)
JEFF WILLIAMS By
BubbaWatsoncan’texplainhow hegoesaboutthegameofgolf. Hedoesithisway,he’llsay. Andthat’saboutit. WhenWatsonfoundhimself inthewoodstotherightofthe
10th fairway at Augusta National,
with The Masters tournament at
stake, he knew he had a shot as soon
as he reached the ball. “If I have a
swing, I have a shot,” he said the
night of April 8, repeating his Bubba
Golf mantra.
He needed to hit a 160-yard gap
wedge with 40 yards of hook, keeping
it under a tree, then flighting it high
enough to stop on the green, which
is exactly what he did. His two-putt
par defeated Louis Oosthuizen in the
playoff and put the Masters green
jacket around his shoulders.
His first major victory was the culmination of an emotional two weeks
during which he and wife Angie had
finally been able to adopt a baby boy,
Caleb, after years of trying. After he
tapped in for the victory, he cried
into the arms of caddy Ted Scott,
then the arms of his mother Molly,
then was embraced by close friends
and fellow tour pros Aaron Baddeley,
Rickie Fowler, and Ben Crane. In
a sea of happy tears, golf’s newest
supernova had arrived, bringing
with him a distinct personality and
a unique swing. There’s nobody like
Bubba Watson in pro golf.
So, just how many ways is Watson
different from the average PGA Tour
pro?
You could start with his pink driver
and an overall affection for the color
pink. You could scratch your head
that he doesn’t have a swing coach
and never has. You might think him
nuts for not having a putting guru.
TROON GOLF & TRAVEL eMAGAZINE • 25
In truth, we were thrilled to
see him win. Haven’t we all
wished we could hit that shot
he hit on the 10th hole in the
playoff from the deep trees to
the right of the fairway? Don’t we all try hard to stay calm and cool when things
look like they might be headed south? Don’t we all wish we were as naturally
talented as Bubba?
He is golf’s version of everyman, the person we can all relate to, the person who
shares our striving, our successes and failures. When he wins, it is a great victory
for us all. When he falls short, we all feel his pain.
Contributing editor Jeff Williams (whose wonderful golf writing you will also find
in the pages of Cigar Aficionado) did a good job capturing Bubba’s approach to
the game (“I don’t try to win tournaments for fame. I’m just Bubba. I goof around.
I joke around. I just want to play golf and be me.”), his eschewing of a swing guru
or putting coach (“Why would I want to say thanks to somebody else?”), and
his generosity.
I’ve never been a big fan of bubble gum pink, but apparently there are a lot of
golfers out there who are. The day after his Masters victory, PING announced
they were releasing a limited edition pink driver just like the one Bubba used in
his win...they got such an overwhelming response that it crashed their website!
Onward Bubba! Onward everyman!
George Fuller,
Editorial Director
gfuller@troongolfandtravel.com
What are your thoughts on Bubba’s win at the Masters?
EDITORIAL
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