After a two-year drought, Bubba Watson brought his A-Game to the Genesis Open and emerged victorious. Catch up on that and all the other golf news of the week in Austad's Monday Morning Caddy.
Bubba Victorious!
Going into last week’s Genesis Open, Bubba Watson was riding a two-year win drought and was contemplating retirement. The 10-time tour winner and two-time Masters champion has been dealing with an undisclosed illness for the past few years and after holing out an 8-foot putt on the last hole to win the tournament, the tears started flowing.
Watson had initially set a career goal of retirement after achieving double-digit wins, but a renewed passion and better health has allowed him to commit to at least two more years.
"I don't know about you guys, but I am thrilled," Watson said of achieving his career goal. "Nobody thought that Bubba Watson from Bagdad, Fla., would ever get to 10 wins, let's be honest. Without lessons, head case, hooking the ball, slicing the ball, can't putt, you know? Somehow we're here making fun of it. So, yes, I've got to set a new goal."
Looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of Bubba atop the leaderboard for the next few years.
What’s In The Bag?
You may not be able to win a major golf tournament like Bubba Watson, but the good news is you can play with the same equipment he does. Here’s what Bubba used to win the Genesis Open:
Driver: PING G400 LST
Hybrid: Ping G
Irons: Ping iBlade (2 iron), Ping S55 (4-PW)
Wedges: Ping Glide 2.0 SS (52, 56 Degrees), Ping Glide 2.0 TS (60 Degrees)
Putter: Ping PLD
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Apparel: Oakley Golf Apparel
Shot of the Week
Bubba Watson entered the 14th hole with a one-shot lead and was fending off 5 competitors who were just one shot back. The funny story about this shot is that he had to take a pee and when he found out the nearest bathroom was on the next hole, he reportedly said, “I’m just going to hole out this shot so I can get to the bathroom.” And that’s what he did.
"You called it baby, you called it!"#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/BqfujkUT0q
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 18, 2018
Are PGA Fans Getting Too Rowdy? Justin Thomas Thinks So
The Waste Management Open is known as golf’s biggest party and that is an atmosphere that has been celebrated and hyped for years now. However a few of the PGA Tour’s biggest names feel like the party may be getting a little too wild.
"It was pretty wild this first couple days. It was all right for a little bit today, but there at the end it got a little out of hand," Thomas said at his post-round press conference. "I guess it's a part of it now, unfortunately. I wish it wasn't. I wish people didn't think it was so amusing to yell and all that stuff while we're trying to hit shots and play."
Rory McIlroy has also mentioned needing a couple of advil to recover from playing with an exceptionally loud group of fans. I can see what the guys are saying. I don’t think anyone wants to take the fun out of the experience, but if fan interaction is getting to the point where it’s interfering with play, that is an issue. Golf is one of the rare professional sports where you can really get pretty close to the athletes. Hopefully the Waste Management can find a way to strike a balance between being a great party and allowing the athletes to focus.
