Bubba Watson’s swing is not the concern
The swing has always come easily to Bubba Watson.
He hits a golf ball with so much natural ability combined with such an unorthodox style that it piqued the curiosity of Tiger Woods when Watson first got on the PGA Tour, and even now it’s enough to cause his peers to stop and watch on the practice range.
His entourage has never included a swing coach. It’s all Bubba.
“Some of the shots he hits are so creative. He really has his style of golf under control,” Adam Scott said. “I don’t think you can teach it. He’s just such a natural talent. Watching a guy hit 5- i ron to f our different greens on the range about 85 yards, 120, 170 and 240 is pretty fun to watch.”
Scott didn’t have to watch him on Sunday, which was just as well because it might not have been all that fun for guys trying to beat him at the Northern Trust Open. Watson took the lead for the last time by swinging so hard that he nearly came out of his shoes on the par-5 17 th. The ball travelled 334 yards up the hill, setting up a 2-iron that went 256 yards and led to a two- putt birdie. He wound up winning by one shot over Scott and Jason Kokrak.
He called it “Bubba Golf ” when he won the first of his two Masters titles in 2012. Everyone knows it when they see it. It’s just hard to describe. “I’m not trying to do anything. I don’t work on anything,” Watson said. “I just play golf.”
The challenge for Watson is what goes on between his ears, and what occasionally comes out of his mouth.
Watson’s life is filled with conflict. He rubs some players the wrong way. But there are plenty of other moments of quiet charity, such as the time he walked into a tournament office and wrote a US$ 50,000 cheque to help tsunami victims in Japan without saying a word.
He is known for his prodigious tee shots, and one year at Doral he would turn to make sure fans were watching as he bashed tee shots to the back of the range. But then he refused to take part in a long drive competition at the PGA Championship two years ago.
Watson said he is trying to get better, even though he accepts he has flaws. As for the golf ? The good golf pops out every now and again, and it’s a spectacle to see.