It is now two wins in three years at The Masters for Bubba Watson. And don’t bet against him having plenty more Green Jackets in his wardrobe before his career is over.
Quite simply, Augusta is the perfect course for him. It’s wide off the tee and, being left-handed, the holes suit his eye.
Throw in his good wedge play and a soft and delicate touch around the greens and Bubba really is a Masters specialist.
You could see how relaxed he seemed over the four days, apart from a brief spell on the Saturday afternoon. He had the confidence of a past winner and now, as a double Champion, he’ll be the man to beat over the coming years.
A few years ago, Augusta felt the need to make the course Tiger-proof to stave off Woods dominating the event. It may now have to become Bubba-proof!
At 35, Watson is reaching his golfing peak. And he is much more than a novelty act. He is a tremendous talent and a fine shot-maker. Those qualities were on show when he won on the notoriously difficult Riviera course in February.
Last Sunday’s Augusta success was better than the one in 2012. He was motivated to prove that he could win The Masters in a controlled way.
Bubba wanted to show that his miraculous wedge shot out of the trees to beat Louis Oosthuizen in a play-off was no fluke. This time, he took control from the second round and he never really lost it. Bubba is an emotional guy, so I was impressed with how he kept his concentration right until the end.
What is amazing is how far he hits the ball off the tee. He was the longest driver, but he doesn’t hit a lot of really ‘big’ drives.
But when he does open his shoulders, it’s special. There were audible gasps from the crowd when they saw where his tee shot at 13 finished on the final day. Playing partner Jordan Spieth thought he had knocked it in the trees, but the ball was 70 yards further on a mere 366 yards from the tee!
Bubba is very much a People’s Champion. Everything comes out and his emotions are there for all to see. That showed in his reaction at the 18th green upon seeing wife Angie and his adopted baby son.
He is always so thankful about what his parents did for him, and he understands how lucky he is to be a pro golfer. Because of that, people can relate to him and want to root for him.
His status has changed now he’s a double Major winner, and it’ll be fascinating to see how he gets on for the rest of the year.
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