Gerry "Bubba" Watson was born on November 5th 1978 in Bagdad, Florida. At the age of 6 his father Garry introduced him to the game of golf. Incredibly Bubba never had a formal golfing lesson in his life. This didn't stop him from becoming the 2012 US Masters champion. In 2003 he joined the Nationwide Tour and in 2005 he finished 21st on the money list which qualified him to play on the PGA Tour for 2006. In his first event at the Sony Open in Hawaii he finished in 4th place and he went on to have a total of three top ten finishes in his first season. In 2010 Bubba finished a whopping at an astonishing -29 at the Bob Hope Classic but finished second to Bill Haas and was still looking for his first tour win. On 27th June he finally made the breakthrough. At the Travellers Championship he defeated Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank in a playoff. An emotional Watson dedicated his win to his parents and in particular his father who was battling cancer. At the PGA Championship he was beaten in a playoff by Martin Kaymer but still managed his best finish at a major to date. In January 2011 Watson won his second title at the Farmers Insurance Open beating Phil Mickelson by one stroke. At the Zurich Classic in May 2011 Watson won a third title, defeating fellow American Webb Simpson in a playoff.
Watson lost his father to throat cancer in October 2010 and to show his support for cancer awareness he now uses a pink driver. Watson possesses the longest drive on the tour despite an unusual technique. Bubba has never been given a lesson and doesn't employ a coach. He has thought himself how to hit the ball ever since he was shown how to hold a club by his father. Watson has adopted a very aggressive style and hits the ball high from right to left. His length off the tee means he often only needs a short iron or wedge on par 4's and on par 5's he is always in with a chance of reaching in two.
A 40/1 outsider to win the Masters, Watson opened with a 69 to put himself in contention and followed it up with rounds of 71 and 70 to leave himself three shots off the lead heading into the final round. Playing partner Louis Oosthuizen looked set to win his second major when he led going into the back nine after hitting a stunning albatross on the 2nd hole. Watson trailed Oosthuizen up until the 16th hole when he made his fourth consecutive birdie on the back nine to draw level. Both players made par on the 17th and 18th to go to a play off. Both players again made par on the 18th in the first playoff hole and so they went to the tenth. Watson drove straight into the trees and left himself 150 yards to the hole. He had no sight of the green and virtually no shot while Oosthuizen was just off the green waiting to hit his third shot. Somehow Watson hit a stunning hook shot and landed it safely on the green. Oosthuizen couldn't get up and down and only made a bogey leaving Watson two putts for the win. Putting was always the achilles heel Watson but his first attempt went right next to the hole leaving him a tap in for his first major victory.
After making the putt he hugged his caddie Ted Scott before embracing his mother Molly. The tears were flowing which surprised nobody. Watson has cried after every win and this was all the more special. Afterwards he spoke of his father, "My dad's not here but he's watching in heaven". "I can't wait to get back. He also spoke of his new son when he admitted "I haven't changed a diaper yet". Watson also vowed not to alter his aggressive style "I always attack. I don’t like to go to the centre of the greens, I want to hit the incredible shot. Who doesn’t? That’s why we play the game of golf. Truthfully, it’s like Seve [Ballesteros] played. He hit shots that were unbelievable. If you watch Phil Mickelson, he goes for broke and that’s why he wins so many times. He’s not afraid. I can hit it straight, it’s just it’s easier to see curves. I remember Jack Nicklaus said he wanted to aim at the centre of the green and get the ball drifting towards the hole when he played Augusta. That’s the way I like to play all the golf courses."
This could be the first step in an incredible career for the big hitter. So far in 2012 he has finished in the top 20 of all his 8 tournaments and with a major under his belt the pressure to win one is off and he can now move on to try to win more tournaments and more majors. The style of Bubba is a joy to watch and his adventurous mindset makes him a huge fan favourite. I hope we see the very best of Watson in the coming years and I'm sure we will see him lift many more major titles.
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