By Sophie Afdhal, Sports Editor ||
It is not only talent but also personality that makes us love professional athletes, and golfer Bubba Watson has plenty of both. Watson, golf’s quirkiest athlete, had his skills on full display this week when he secured his second Master’s Cup title win in three years — winning for the first time in 2012. Watson joins the ranks of only 8 other golfers who have won in such a short time, with notable names such as Tiger Woods, Jack Niklaus, and Phil Mickelson.
His performance at the Augusta National course made his win well-deserved. He dominated the field in driving distance with an average of 305.63 yards off the tee and was also tied for fifth in greens regulation, hitting 50 of 72 during the week. He also placed 16th in putting. Combined, this was all enough to secure him his second green jacket, $1.62 million dollars, and his 6th PGA tour win. Unlike the previous win, in which he battled up until the very end, Watson arrived at the 18th hole this year knowing he had won. He beat out second place Jordan Spieth by a three shot margin. 20-year-old Spieth would have made history as well as the youngest winner of a major championship since the 1931 PGA Championship.
In addition to his talent, everyone is talking about Watson’s quirkier qualities. Watson supposedly celebrated his Master’s win by going to the breakfast chain Waffle House and tweeted a selfie from the restaurant with his wife and friends. He also reportedly left a $148 tip for his server. I guess winning $1.62 million dollars put him in a giving mood.
Watson is known for his distinctive “homemade swing,” his rambling interviews, and his long Twitter conversations with followers on the morning of the Master’s Cup. He has pioneered his own style called “Bubba Golf,” and his long-time caddy, Ted Scott, has called “Bubba Golf” a “freak show.”
Scott has gone on record saying, “I can’t describe it any other way. I’ve played golf with him probably 40, 50 times, and every single day that I play golf with him or watch him play golf I just go, how do you do that? And I asked him on 18, after he hit the tee shot, ‘Are you from Mars or something? Because I don’t believe you can hit these shots that you hit.’”
Bubba Watson has cemented himself as a one-of-a-kind eccentric talent. Between winning two green coats and entertaining us all with his antics, Watson will soon be a household name in golf, and I look forward to seeing what headlines he splashes across next.
Junior Sophie Afdhal is the Sports Editor. Her email is safdhal@fandm.edu.