Tiger Woods keeps a close circle. Throughout his career, he’s kept his team small and rarely allows outsiders a peek inside the walls. Lots of players are friendly with other golfers on Tour, but Woods was all business — it’s part of what made him great.
In recent years however, Woods opened up a bit, revealing things behind his difficult-to-crack facade. Practice rounds with fellow pros became more common — Justin Thomas has become his go-to playing partner — and the steely glares were replaced with softer eyes.
Bubba Watson is another Tour pro who’s become friendly with Woods over the last decade. He’s been a regular in the 15-time major winner’s practice rounds, and even bought Woods’ Isleworth mansion in 2013.
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This affable relationship gave Watson the unique opportunity to pick Woods’ brain, and he made sure to analyze anything and everything about the way he operates.
“What I saw is that my dedication isn’t as high as his,” Watson said on this week’s Off Course with Claude Harmon podcast. “By watching him, I learned different techniques … How to practice, when to practice. But again, I learned that I am not dedicated enough. I’ve got other things in my life that I want to be successful at.”
He went on to explain that another thing he learned was that he could play golf at an elite level. Going toe-to-toe with one of the best to ever do it — even in a practice round — gave Watson added validation to his game.
“Playing with Tiger Woods is a dream come true,” Watson said.
Check out the entire Off Course podcast below.
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