
When you hit the ball over 300 yards, you can wear pink socks, play with a pink shaft in your driver, make goofy Twitter videos and watch the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Welcome to Bubba Watson's world.
Now Watson will get to be a guest on DeGeneres' show on Tuesday after pleading to her in recent weeks via the social-networking site. He sang "Happy Birthday" to her in a video and posted such tweets as, "Hey @theellenshow I don't know how but one day I am going to be on your show!"
The how happened when one of the show's producers noticed Watson's outpouring and unusual tactics -- and personality. The show got in touch with Watson's agent, the two sides talked about why Watson would and should go on the show and they agreed to have him in Los Angeles before next week's Northern Trust Open at nearby Riviera.
"I'm very excited," Watson said Thursday night from San Diego, where he's in the field for this week's Farmers Insurance Open. "It was just something fun to do to try to get on her show."
What drew Watson to her, he says, was her comedy. "She's just hilarious," he said. "Before she had her show, she was a stand-up comedian and I remember she was funny way back when."
The other thing that attracted Watson to DeGeneres is all the charitable donations that she has become known for, often giving money and gifts away on her show to those in need. That's something that strikes close to the heart of Watson, a devout Christian who is involved in a number of charitable efforts.
"She makes everyone laugh and loves giving stuff away," said Watson, a unique figure in his own right. He learned the game by hitting plastic golf balls as a 6-year-old growing up in the Florida panhandle and used to wear pink socks in his high school matches. "Just because I'm a male doesn't mean I don't like [her show] or the same things she does. She gives a lot to charity and I admire that."
When Watson isn't busy bombing the golf ball -- he ranked second on the PGA TOUR in driving distance in 2009 -- he likes to spend his free time helping others. Last year, he donated $50,000 to build a playground for a Ronald McDonald House in Pensacola, Fla., not far from where he grew up. He's also hosted golf tournaments for juniors and women and last Thanksgiving stayed home in Arizona with wife Angie and his trainer, Andrew Fisher, so they could all dole out ice cream to kids at a local shelter.
Just last week, during the Bob Hope Classic, Watson surprised one young fan, 7-year-old Peyton Brousseau, with a set of Ping junior clubs. Watson has also been involved in Birdies for the Brave and any number of other charitable endeavors, including giving money to his local church.
"If certain things touch me, I'm going to give my money or my time," said Watson.
Or make any number of videos on his Twitter account, including ones involving singing, hitting golf balls into a swimming pool and jumping in fully-clothed, and any other general goofiness he can come up with at the time. He also says he answers every tweet he gets -- and judging by the more than 15,000 tweets he's posted, he does -- and watches the Ellen DeGeneres Show whenever he can.
As for what he plans to do when he appears on her show Tuesday, "Wing it, I guess," Watson said. "I don't know what we're going to do, but whatever it is it'll be fun I'm sure."
It usually is.