Player Profile: Another Green Jacket for Bubba Watson

This week Bubba Watson, two-time Masters winner, traded his green jacket for a Santa suite to get into the swing of Christmas.  In a video released on Tuesday, his alter ego ‘Bubbaclaus’, raps to the beat in a hip-hop promotion of his #Bubbaclaus movement on twitter.

Bubba has every reason for his jovial mood, having joined the ranks in 2014 of only 16 other players with multiple green jackets to their credit. Only eight other players have achieved this feat within such a short space of time, including the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jack Nicklaus.

The 2012 champion repeated his previous winning form in this year’s US Masters after he birdied holes 8 and 9 to take and sustain the lead over Jordan Spieth and Jonas Blixt.

Early Start
Born Gerry Lester Watson Jr. in Santa Rosa County, Florida, Watson began his golfing career with a 9-iron and plastic golf balls as an eager 6-year old in Florida. Following in the footsteps of other future PGA Tour players Heath Slocum and Boo Weekly, Bubba represented his school golf team at Milton High.

An All-American junior college player, Bubba Watson transferred to the University of Georgia where he played for the Bulldogs in 2000 and 2001, and was instrumental in helping them secure the Southeastern Conference (SEC) title, before turning professional at the age of 25.

Turning Professional
As a rookie, Watson boasted the longest drive on the PGA Tour at 319.6 yards, his longest driving distance being almost 150 yards further at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (442 yards).

After a slow start to his professional career Watson secured his first PGA Tour win in 2010, but it was his emotional 2012 Masters Tournament victory that endeared him to the public and made him a household name.

Entering the final day at six-under, Watson recorded four birdies to finish four-under par and tied for the lead with his playing-partner Louis Oosthuizen. In a dramatic and thrilling sudden-death playoff, Watson landed deep in the woods with no clear shot to the green. What followed was nothing short of a miraculous recovery as he curled the ball around the trees to put him in a position to putt for the win. “I’ve never had a dream go this far, so I can’t say it’s a dream come true… “This is the mecca…” said a tearful Bubba.

Throughout his career, Bubba Watson has lit up the fairways with his unique style, unrefined by professional coaching, but the humble athlete puts it all down to good fortune and perseverance.

Despite his quirks and unaffected manner, it is undeniable that this left-handed player is a remarkable sportsman and an extraordinary talent.

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