Watson's transformation translates into success
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
MARANA, Ariz. -- Bubba Watson seems like a pretty happy-go-lucky guy, doesn't he?
We read his tweets regularly, and we get a glimpse into his life. He tells us who he's having dinner with that night. Sometimes we even find out who pays. And then there was that trick-shot video he made that landed him on the Ellen DeGeneres show. How much fun was that?
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But Bubba from Bagdad -- Fla., that is -- as he likes to call himself, has a serious side, too. Inside the ropes, he has a job to do. It's just that inside the ropes, he hasn't always been comfortable with the direction he was taking.
"The thing is, from a small town, not much money, life changes," Watson explained. "You're making over a million dollars on the PGA TOUR. I made over 100 grand on the Nationwide Tour. I was living the dream. The problem was I was getting wrapped up in the media telling me you needed to do this, telling you they need to do that.
"Some people don't like the way you play golf. I was just wrapped up in the wrong stuff. I was getting mad inside the ropes when people were taking my pictures, just stuff that -- who cares? I should be honored that people want to talk to me and listen to what I have to say."
People are listening now more than ever, too. Watson won his second PGA TOUR event in a little over six months at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. He played on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. And he's one of the last eight men standing heading into the weekend of his first World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship after Friday's 6-and-4 win over Geoff Ogilvy.
About a year ago, though, things got so bad that Watson's caddy of five years, Ted Scott, told his boss he was going to quit if something didn't change. He was tired of seeing Watson beat himself up over the shot he'd just sent sailing into the great beyond or the putt that stubbornly refused to fall.
"He said I'm going to have to leave you, we'll still be friends, I'll still help you, but I can't watch you do this on the golf course," Watson recalled. "It was a slap in the face. My wife said the same stuff. We had a powwow and I was wrong."
Watson knew he needed an attitude adjustment. He loves playing golf with his buddies. He loves watching it on TV. He just wasn't having fun when it counted, and he understood something had to be done.
"Outside the ropes, as soon as I sign the scorecard, I'm the same Bubba from Baghdad, I love to have fun, love to goof around," Watson explained. "I don't worry about what I shot. Now I just had to bring it to the golf course. So I've worked hard. ... And my caddie has kicked me in the butt a few times to remind me of what I'm supposed to be doing."
The transformation is a work in progress. Watson says he's not 100 percent, not even when he took down Phil Mickelson, as well as the red-hot Bill Haas and Jhonattan Vegas, on the way to his second career win at Torrey Pines last month. He knows there will be setbacks. But "so far it's doing good," he said.
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The death of Watson's father Gerry, a former Green Beret, in October also had a profound affect. Watson had dedicated his win in July at the Travelers Championship to his dad and his wife Angie, who had been diagnosed with a brain tumor that was later determined to be an enlarged pituitary gland. He dissolved in tears after the final putt was struck.
"My dad passed away and I realized that life is too short," Watson said. "What I believe in my life as a Christian, life is too short, golf means absolutely nothing. It means nothing to me. If I win this week, it would be awesome, it would be great, that's what I want to do. But in the whole scheme of things, it means absolutely nothing.
"If I make a bogey on the first hole and lose the next nine holes and lose my match, it means nothing. It means next week I'm going to try harder.So I realized that my life revolves around golf, but it's not my life. My tombstone is not going to say how many wins or losses I had. It's going to hopefully say I'm a good person and everybody misses me."
Friends, to be sure, are important to Watson. That's why he's not totally comfortable with the match play format -- although after winning three bouts with Bill Haas, Mark Wilson and Geoff Ogilvy this week you wouldn't know it. Watson has only played 43 holes, he's never trailed and he has yet to see the 17th tee.
"In stroke play you're not really thinking about the person you're beating," Watson explained. "You're trying to beat that score. Or if you're ahead of the score, you're trying to stay ahead of that. But in match play it's mano e mano.
"It was Ogilvy today, who I consider a good friend. Our manager is the same manager. He didn't come out today; he didn't want to watch. It's tough when you're beating or playing against a friend."
Ogilvy, who has won the Accenture Match Play Championship twice and finished second once, came away impressed. "I didn't play good enough to beat someone playing like this," the Aussie said after what was only his fourth loss in 24 matches.
Next up for Watson is J.B. Holmes, who has a similar game predicated on length and power. Watson leads the TOUR in driving distance with an average of 314.8 yards; Holmes is third just 4.3 yards behind. Neither expects to get caught up in a long-distance rivalry, though.
"I think we're both past that in our careers," said Holmes, whose two victories came about 90 minutes away in Phoenix. "Maybe when we were 16. But we both know that's not the most important thing."
No, winning is -- and having fun in the process.
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