by Jeff Skinner
One of the keys to winning on the PGA Tour is going low on the weekend. Thursday and Friday are all about grooving the swing and making the cut. But if you expect to cash the winner’s check you need to go low on the weekends. Bubba Watson did just that this weekend at the Northern Trust Open. Watson shot 64-64 and his closing birdie on eighteen gave him a two stroke victory.
This is his first win since his amazing victory at the 2012 Masters. With his first major win and for the way he won it, he was labeled the new American folk hero. His “down home” demeanor and propensity to say whatever he was thinking without editing himself attracted fans and media alike. Before his Masters win he was famous for his “Bubba Videos” that went viral showing him trying crazy shots and stunts. They were juvenile but Bubba showed that he liked to have fun more than anything else…even play golf.
In the time between that Masters triumph and this win Bubba has had some up and downs. The addition of his son about that time certainly put a new perspective in his life. On the course he looked distracted and bored with the game. He did have chances for a win last season, most notably at the Travelers when he called out his caddie for a yardage that didn’t work out. He finished fourth.
Two weeks ago at the waste Management Open he took second and this is his third top ten of the season. So maybe Bubba’s life has settled in to where he can concentrate on golf when he has to. But that is not easy for Bubba.
Bubba is a walking case of Adult Attention Deficit Deficiency and he knows it. This is a guy who has said golf was boring and has big time trouble staying focused on the course. Those five and a half hour round must kill him.
Maybe becoming a parent has changed him…no, becoming a parent has definitely changed him. Just like it does everything else. A distracted, bored Bubba has enough talent to play on the PGA Tour and make a good living. A focused, motivated Bubba can win and win majors.
That’s the Bubba America wants to watch play golf. The focused Bubba that hurls it 30 yards right to watch it curve left and land 320 yards down the fairway. We want the Bubba that hooks and cuts it like the old school players of years gone by. That’s the Bubba that wins. After that he can hug his family and praise the lord. Stay focused Bubba and there’ll be plenty more wins.
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