Bubba Watson shares his thoughts on what "growing the game" actually means.
Andrew Urban
It’s January, Masters invites are in the mail and Bubba Watson sounds positively giddy. He loves this time of year. When he watches college football, his eyes are peeled for Masters promos during commercial breaks. “This year, they ran those way earlier than they normally do,” he says as we sit for a chat at Dutchman’s Pipe, a new private golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla., where this week the LIV Golf marketing machine is in overdrive to promote season three of the breakaway league.
How eager is Watson — perhaps the most eccentric of LIV’s many PGA Tour defectors — to stop and smell the azaleas? Even as a past champion who knows he’ll visit Georgia every April for the rest of his life, he treasures — and keeps — every paper Masters invitation he receives. Why? Because he’s 46. Because he knows his best golfing days are behind him. And because he believes there just might be the appetite for another Masters party back home in Pensacola, where he lives with his wife, Angie, and their two kids, Dakota, 10, and Caleb, 13. While it ultimately won’t bother Watson if he never wins at Augusta again — he’s pretty content being a two-time Masters champ, with victories in 2012 and 2014 — it does bother Dakota. She’s keen to celebrate on ANGC’s 18th green just as Caleb did a decade ago.
Naturally, this keeps a fire lit for the old man, who’s faced some uncertainty in recent months. At the end of the 2024 LIV season, the league relegated Watson because of his poor play. But, thanks to his RangeGoats teammates Matt Wolff and Peter Uihlein, he was brought back on a “business case” exemption and is competing again in 2025. It’s clear, though, that the questions raised about the state of his game have caused Watson to reassess. He’s spending this phase of his life focused most intently on family, on the man he wants to be and — it turns out to be one and the same — on the way he wants to be remembered.
SZ: You’re headed back to the Masters in April. What do you do with these paper invites you get from Augusta?
BW: It goes back to my childhood. These are my dreams; these are my dreams to compete at a high level and be a part of these special events. I also think of Arnold Palmer, who had the warehouse back in Latrobe with all his memorabilia. They saved everything. It’s almost like a museum, right? His grandkids and his family can go back and remember. My kids are getting to the age where they want Dad to keep things. They know the routine of [Masters] week, they know the Champions Dinner. They’re like, “Hey, did you get your menu signed?”
SZ: Masters players are given a number of different tokens for competing in the event. What’s the coolest one?
BW: [When you arrive] you get a [numbered] pin that comes in a little bag. You see it on players’ hats and collars — it’s kind of your badge. In 2012, I got pin No. 15 — pin No. 1 they save for the defending champ. I happened to be the 14th [player] to show up, so pin 15. [That year] I had told Tim Tebow I was going to play in his [charity] event, but I ended up winning the Masters, [so] he calls me saying, “Hey, man, you don’t have to come. You just won the Masters. You just adopted a son. Your life is crazy.” And I said, “No, I’m gonna be there.” So I brought him the badge, because [15] was Tim’s number. I said, “Here, man. You might not like it, but it means something to me.” I handed him my badge and — that’s the one thing I regret. I went there and gave it to him, and he probably threw it away. It’s Tim Tebow, he could care less what I give him. But anyway, we get these badges and I have saved all of them.
SZ: Except for the one from the year of your first Masters win.
BW: Except for that one. What a dummy.
SZ: Good thing you won it a second time. Do you think of your two wins similarly or are they distinct in your mind?
BW: I see them differently because both of those years I adopted my kids. In 2012, we adopted Caleb two weeks before the Masters, then in November 2014 we adopted Dakota. The Masters wins are the same anniversaries, so it’s a double meaning, or a different meaning, for me. And my daughter always asks me — I never got to walk on the green when you won, but Caleb has. That’s our joke. Every time we show up at the Masters she’s like, Hey, can you win again? But, obviously, the first win is very special because you can believe [it might happen], but deep down, do you really believe you’re going to win the Masters? I didn’t have the upbringing or the skillset or the people around me to really, truly believe it.
SZ: Scottie Scheffler doubted himself on the morning of his first Masters win. That disbelief is inside of every pro golfer.
BW: One hundred percent. And if you say it’s not there, you’re a liar. The second win, I was down three to 20-year-old Jordan Spieth, with 11 holes to go. I was telling myself, I’ve done this before. He hasn’t. I’ve done this before. He hasn’t. That’s what I kept telling myself. The second one wasn’t easier; it was just different. The emotions were different, the feelings were different.
SZ: Now, more than a decade later, how different are you as a person?
BW: Gosh, I hope everybody on the planet would say I’m a better person. Forget golf — as you get older, you hope you realize what your purpose is and what is most meaningful to you. When I was young and dumb and so-called innocent, I didn’t know any better. These kids today, camera in their face, millions and millions of dollars thrown at them at 20 years old — it’s crazy. You’re going to have a lot of negative things happen to you, right? Because you haven’t been taught. One beauty of golf is that you have to earn it; you have to gain and earn it. So it took me a long time to figure out that golf was just an avenue for me to do better. It is something I love to do, but I can do that without money.
SZ: One thing I’ve noticed by watching you over the years is you have more of a presence at the Masters and at Augusta National than most players. You attend the Drive, Chip & Putt competition, you’ve been at the Women’s Amateur. You often show up on the 1st tee for the ceremonial tee shots. Why?
BW: The reason why I do it is because, now that I’m a champion, I feel like I’m part of that club. And they act like I’m part of that club. They treat me like I’m part of the club. These are CEOs and smart people and businesspeople. If they’re willing to take time out of their lives to give back and to grow the game the right way, why would Bubba Watson not want to be a part of it? It’s one week out of the year.
SZ: Do you think you can contend at the Masters again?
BW: I truly do. It comes down to mental strength, mental awareness. It comes down to making a few putts here and there. Golf is such a fine line — you make one putt or you chip in at the right moment and it inspires you for the rest of the day or the tournament. Truthfully, I’ve had the thought: If you do it, like if you actually pull it off… I mean, I’m 46. You’re talking about [the same age] Jack Nicklaus was when he won. If you did that, you know, maybe you drop the shoes on the green and walk off forever. That’d be a cool moment, right?
SZ: Some people thought Tiger Woods should have done that when he won in 2019.
BW: You know how many people would have chased after them shoes?
SZ: When you think back, winning 10 to 12, 13 years ago, what is harder about the place now than it was then, particularly for you?
BW: Oh, man. I didn’t think about sleep. I didn’t think about tiredness when I was younger. When you’re 25 years old or 28 years old — when I won I was low 30s — you don’t think about all the the diet and exercise and the things you need, right?
So now I’m looking at I’m looking at our energy level. You got two kids that want to play in the Par 3 Contest. You’ve got family, you’ve got friends. Everybody in the world wants to come to the Masters. Which is a great thing. But I rent two houses. There’s a house over there, and there’s my house — my family stays with me, obviously. We have our routines, our bedtime routines, and sometimes you have to wake up really early. So I have to plan differently. When you’re younger, you just go full tilt. Don’t even think about it. You just crash. When I won I ate burritos every day.
SZ: I bet any golfer who grows through a career — I bet Spieth feels the same way right now, as he takes on more of a family. It’s those things that people in the gambling world, or fans — don’t think about those things.
BW: So it’s funny. People always say Why did so-and-so start playing bad? It’s really not old age, because you can still perform, but your life has changed. You more than likely have a wife, more than likely have kids as you get to your 40s. Priorities change. You take 10 minutes less of practice, but it helps you a lot [parenting]. Or you take 20 minutes less, or 30 minutes less. It starts going. But [your home life] is way better. Or your marriage isn’t very good, and it hurts your golf. Having three kids or two kids or one kid, it changes how you practice. And Scottie, you know, loves his wife, loves his family. Jordan loves his wife, loves his family. Things are going to change. Maybe not? He maybe he’s that good he still plays unbelievable. It’s not a bad thing that priorities change. But fans don’t want them to change. They say, “I don’t care about your family. I want you to play good.” But it just doesn’t work out that way.
SZ: Or they just don’t know. Who knows what Bubba is dealing with?
BW: Nobody knows. We’re all dealing with something negative or positive.
SZ: You’re the owner of a minor league baseball team, the Wahoos. What kind of owner are you?
BW: A great owner. [laughs] I love to help, so I love being there and seeing the guys. Every year we have new guys, right? You know, younger players coming in, the good players move up. It’s been fun. Now my son is 12 and loves baseball so he wants to go to batting practice. When the games start he’s like, ‘We can go home because I can’t hang out in the dugout.’ He probably could hang out in the dugout, but I don’t let him. Don’t tell him this, but he’s about to be 13, so he can be the ballboy now.
SZ: I’m trying to think back to my 12-year-old self. I could not imagine my dad owning two cooler things than a baseball team and a candy store.
BW: You know, I let it slip up with my son, a few years ago. There’s a side door for season ticket holders [at the ballpark]. My son was with me and I brought some friends. We used our season tickets, but there was five of us and I had four tickets … I was like, Hey, instead of going around to the office, I’m just gonna use my four tickets and I’m just going to walk in. And she was like, There’s five of you and there’s four tickets? And I was like, Yeah, but I’m just going to go to the office. And she was like, Who is this guy?
SZ: She doesn’t know who Bubba Watson is.
BW: She has no idea. I’m just in a T-shirt and she could care less. It was her second game, her first homestand. She’s checking tickets and my son’s right beside me, nine years old. And I said, I’m Bubba Watson. I’m the owner of the team. And he goes, YOU OWN THE TEAM? And I was like, gahhhh man. It was like one of the low moments of my life. I was like, Dang, I shouldn’t have said that.
SZ: As you say, you’re now 46. You had a long PGA Tour career, and now you’re with LIV. How would you characterize this moment in your golf life?
BW: Selfishly, I would say I’m at a low point, because I want to win [again]. I want to prove it to myself. I’m not worried about proving it to others, and, when I say others, I’m talking about the outside world. I’m proving to my son that hard work pays off. Proving it to my daughter. My wife knows what I’m doing. But proving it to myself is another thing. I want to keep doing it. On LIV, I let the two guys on my team decide [my fate]. I said, “Hey, do you still want me to play?” And they said yes. I’m letting other people dictate. If they say that there’s a better option, then [I’m] out. And that’s fine.
SZ: I’ll never forget Tiger saying he wanted to prove to his kids that he wasn’t just a YouTube golfer, because they’d only seen his highlights.
BW: I don’t know how to say this the right way, but if on my deathbed my kids have to say “two-time Masters champion” first, then I’m a terrible dad. Yes, I’m a golfer, but I always tell my wife, “You keep calling me a golfer, then you’re limiting who Bubba Watson is.” I want to be creative. I want to do things. I want to do good things for people. I want to create businesses. I want to do some fun stuff and provide for my family. If I win the Masters again, hopefully it doesn’t make them love me more or care for me more. It’s hard to word, but I want them to see me. I want them to know me as a person. But, yes, I do want to win, and I would love for them to be there.
SZ: The LIV Golf experience is ongoing. What have you learned from the last few years?
BW: I’ve learned quite a bit. The one thing that really sticks out to me is there are people in my life that I truly trust and believe in and seek advice from. One of the things that I’ve learned is you can’t worry about rumors; you’ve got to know the truth. So, if I have a problem with you, I can’t go [looking elsewhere] — the media, the internet. I’ve got to come to you. You’ve got to find out the truth before you make a decision or a judgment.
SZ: We’re at an interesting point in the sport, with its future so unsettled. Would you look forward to a time in which you could play PGA Tour events again?
BW: I would love to play in some tournaments — a few that I’ve played well at. Riviera, the Travelers — won both of those three times. I love the team tournament in New Orleans. It’s been fun playing there. The PNC, where we watch Charlie and Tiger — my son and I, we dreamed of playing in that. I told him when I went to LIV, “Hey, we’re probably never going to play in this. Maybe we can start our own father-son [tournament] and do our own thing.” He said, “Dad, you think there’s ever going to be a chance?” So, that’s one that’d be fun to do.
SZ: Earlier off camera, we were talking the different places — like Bryson going to India, you in your past playing in China. Blank slate, you can bring a LIV event anywhere in the world, where are you going?
BW: Well that’s a loaded question.
SZ: It could be Pensacola.
BW: I would go straight to Pensacola, right? I’ve looked at it. I’ve tried to study it. You know, our 10-year model is build a stadium. A stadium golf course and host an event there. I don’t see [it happening with] the properties that are already built in Pensacola area. And I don’t see a sponsor that can, or multiple sponsors that can, afford it — or would want to afford it. They could afford it. They don’t want to afford it.
But if I’m thinking of just golf in general? Japan. That’s a golf mecca. I love Japan. There’s a golf course Visa Taiheiyo — a golf course I love playing. You stare at Mount Fuji. When you’re in the clubhouse — you’re on the second floor, you overlook 18 and Mount Fuji. So that would be a cool place to go just because I love that setting. We’re going to South Korea this year. Then on top of that — I’m not very good at it because it’s hard one week out of the year — but links golf. Who doesn’t love the watching the British Open? You watch people struggle and you watch people play really well.
SZ: You’re obviously an emotional person. What golf stuff stirs emotion in you these days?
BW: Well, I think we use the term “grow the game” too much, at all levels.
SZ: Completely agree.
BW: The PGA of America — the head pros around the world — they’re the hands and feet. They know the junior golfers, they know the wives that are learning the game, they know the couples that are in the club, they’re the ones truly growing the game and showing how fun it can be. But we still have to take it around the world. LIV is taking it around the world. The PGA Tour has played in many places. But if you’re not really putting the effort in at junior clinics, at a tournament — if you’re just playing golf, then going home — how is that growing the game? That’s one thing that gets me fired up.
SZ: This is about the time guys your age start looking toward the Champions tour. It’s only a few years away for you. Is it something you’d be interested in?
BW: Definitely. That Fred Couples schedule, where you just play a few here and there? Me and my wife have talked about it. We’ve talked about the family travel and about Caleb caddying for me in some events — just to say we did it. We’ve seen other families do it, other athletes do it, other professionals do it. That would be fun, right?
I know this is going to sound really bad, but, at the same time, if somebody told me that I’m done tomorrow — if my wife told me I’m done tomorrow, then I’m done tomorrow. That’s more important. And that’s where I want to make sure people understand. I’m a golfer. I sold cars for a little bit. I owned a dealership and I got out of the dealership. I owned a baseball team. I own things. But if my wife says, “No, you’re home,” then I’m home. Simple as that. My kids look at me the right way and say, “You’re home,” [then] I’m home. I’m having fun right now, but I can easily turn that fun into being at home, because I love them so much. I don’t put all my eggs in “I have to do this” or “I have to be number one.”
SZ: When did that mindset change for you?
BW: When I realized who I should be. It took me a while to see the man I should be. I played around at the man I should be — about 2 percent worth. And I need to be better for my wife, better for the people around me. Then my kids came in the picture — be better for them. Twenty years of marriage, 23 years together. It took me a while to figure it out. If she was here, she would tell you that I’m definitely a different person. Not that she was ever mad at who I was before, but I’m definitely different than I was when we first got married. For the better, hopefully.
SZ: What’s it been like for you to see your old caddie, Ted Scott, have such success with the current World No. 1, Scottie Scheffler?
BW: I saw Teddy [in Las Vegas] at the Showdown. I told him, “Why didn’t you caddie that good for me?!” [Laughs] But no, it’s great. When we split up, I wasn’t sure where I was going. LIV was coming into the picture; I told him I was thinking about that. And some pros started calling him: “Hey, what about if you come work for me?” We talked about it and I said, “Man, if you could find a young guy who you could help as much as you’ve helped me, it would be amazing.” But I didn’t think he was gonna go to Scottie’s bag and change the world! I know Tiger did some great stuff in 2000, but Scottie [in 2024] was the best we’ve ever seen.
SZ: You mentioned the Showdown, last December’s exhibition. You did the on-course commentating for TNT’s broadcast. Does that kind of work interest you?
BW: I’m having fun right now. My wife is letting me have fun. My kids are enjoying it. My options are always open, right? Like I said, if you say I’m just a golfer, then you’re limiting who Bubba is. For me, the one thing I think we miss [in the sport] is positivity. So when Scottie hits a shot or Rory hits a shot or Bryson or Brooks, I want to bring positivity to it. I feel I have the wit and the intelligence to do that.
Am I any good at it? I’m just telling you what I think; I don’t know what anybody says about me. They didn’t pay me to show up at the Showdown. I take that back — they paid for my hotel room. But I just wanted to see that world. I wanted to see it and learn it. LIV let me do five events when I had knee surgery, because I was rehabbing. I enjoyed it. I saw a different world of golf because you see the 2000 people behind the scenes that nobody ever sees on TV that are making the magic. You don’t know that — you’re just playing a golf tournament, right? You don’t think about all the other stuff that happens. And so I saw that for the first time. It was eye-opener for me. But I enjoyed it. I don’t like the guy that has to take notes and sit for five hours in front of a screen with a jacket on. I wouldn’t want to be in the booth. I’d rather be out.
SZ: Could you see a scenario where you do that?
BW: I can see it for a little bit when I’m still having fun. Now, if it becomes a real job, I probably wouldn’t like it as much.
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Sean Zak is a senior writer and author of Searching in St. Andrews, which followed his travels in Scotland during the most pivotal summer in the game’s history.
