Bubba Watson
| Bubba Watson | |
|---|---|
 Watson in July 2007 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Gerry Lester Watson, Jr. |
| Nickname | Bubba |
| Born | November 5, 1978 Bagdad, Florida, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 13 st) |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Residence | Scottsdale, Arizona |
| Spouse | Angie Watson |
| Children | Caleb Watson |
| Career | |
| College | Faulkner State C.C. University of Georgia |
| Turned professional | 2003 |
| Current tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 6 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 4 |
| Other | 2 |
| Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 1) | |
| Masters Tournament | Won: 2012 |
| U.S. Open | T5: 2007 |
| The Open Championship | T23: 2012 |
| PGA Championship | 2nd: 2010 |
Gerry Lester "Bubba" Watson, Jr. (born November 5, 1978) is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour. One of the few left-handed golfers on tour, he is a major champion, the winner of the Masters Tournament in 2012. Among the longest drivers on the PGA Tour, in 2007 he had an average drive of 315.2 yards (288.2 m) and can hit a ball over 350 yards (320 m), capable of generating a ball speed up to 194 mph (312 km/h)].[Watson won the 2012 Masters Tournament after defeating Louis Oosthuizen on the second sudden death playoff hole.The win elevated Watson to a career-high fourth place in the Official World Golf Ranking.Amateur career
Watson was born and raised in Bagdad, Florida, near Pensacola. He played on the golf team at Milton High School, which had featured future PGA Tour members Heath Slocum and Boo Weekley just before he attended.Watson played golf for Faulkner State Community College in nearby Baldwin County, Alabama, where he was a junior college All-American. He transferred to the University of Georgia, the defending NCAA champions, and played for the Bulldogs in 2000 and 2001. As a junior, Watson helped lead the Bulldogs to the SEC title in 2000.
Professional career
Watson turned professional in 2003 and joined the Nationwide Tour where he played until 2005. He finished 21st on the Nationwide Tour's money list in 2005, making him the last player to qualify for the following year's PGA Tour. As a rookie in 2006, he earned $1,019,264 (90th overall) and led the PGA Tour in driving distance at 319.6 yards (292.2 m). His longest-ever drive on the PGA Tour was 416 yards (380 m), at the 2010 Sony Open. His longest drive in professional competition was a 422 yards (386 m) on the Nationwide Tour.
Watson played well at the 2007 U.S. Open. He was in the final group on Saturday after shooting rounds of 70–71 (+1) at Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh. Watson was one stroke off the lead after 36 holes but then slipped, shooting 74 (+4) in both the third and fourth rounds; he finished in a tie for fifth.
2010
Watson claimed his first PGA Tour win on June 27, 2010, in Cromwell, Connecticut, at the Travelers Championship on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff with Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank.[7] Watson tearfully dedicated the win to his parents, specifically his father who was battling cancer.
Watson was runner-up to Martin Kaymer at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, falling in the three-hole aggregate playoff that initially included Dustin Johnson, before he incurred a two-stroke penalty on the 72nd hole. Watson led the playoff after a birdie on the first hole, but Kaymer birdied the par-3 second hole to tie, effectively turning the playoff into sudden-death. Watson's second shot found the water hazard and Kaymer bested him by a stroke to win the major championship.
Watson had his own clothing line called "Bubba Golf" at the former Steve & Barry's. He was invited on The Ellen DeGeneres Show after he sent her a video of a golf trick shot he completed for her birthday.
2011
On January 30, 2011, Watson won his second PGA Tour event, the Farmers Insurance Open, finishing one stroke ahead of runner-up Phil Mickelson.[8] Watson picked up his second win of the 2011 season and third career PGA Tour title on May 1 when he defeated Webb Simpson at the second playoff hole at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.[9] Both players birdied the first playoff hole, with Watson holing a 12-footer; he birdied the next hole to win the tournament.
In July 2011, Watson provoked controversy by criticizing the Alstom Open de France on the European Tour, in which he was playing under a sponsor's exemption. He indicated after his first round that he would not be playing any further events on the European Tour, and complained after his second round about security and organization at the tournament.
Watson took part in the Long Drive Contest for charity at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions alongside Dustin Johnson and Robert Garrigus. He finished in second place, with a longest drive of 370 yards (338 m) behind a drive of over 400 yards (366 m) by Jamie Sadlowski.
2012Masters win
Watson's first major championship win came at the 2012 Masters Tournament. He began the final round at six-under-par, three strokes off the lead, held by Peter Hanson. On the back nine, Watson bogeyed the par-3 12th hole to return to even par for the round. He then recorded four consecutive birdies for a round of 68 (-4) and tied for the 72-hole lead with fourth-round playing partner Louis Oosthuizen at ten-under-par. In the sudden-death playoff, Oosthuizen and Watson both made par on the uphill 18th hole. On the next hole, the downhill 10th, both drove their tee shots towards the woods to the right of the hole. Oosthuizen's landed in the rough 220 yards (200 m) away, while Watson's ball landed deep in the woods on pine straw, 164 yards (150 m) from the pin without a clear shot to the green. Watson executed a miraculous recovery shot with 40 yards of hook on his 52-degree gap wedge and stopped the ball within fifteen feet of the hole. Oosthuizen's approach shot landed short of the green, but he chipped past the hole and narrowly missed his lengthy putt for par. Watson trickled his birdie putt a foot past the hole, took his time on the very short par putt, then made it for the emotional victory.The win took him to a career-high world ranking of four.
Personal life
Watson was nicknamed by his father for former professional football player Bubba Smith.Watson is married to Angela P. "Angie" Watson, née Ball, a 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Canadian whom he met at Georgia while he was on the golf team and she was on the women's basketball team.In 2009, she was diagnosed with an enlarged pituitary gland, which accounts for her height.On their first date, Angie told Bubba that she would be unable to conceive a child.Various family issues, including the illness and death of Watson's father in 2010, kept them from attempting to adopt until the winter of 2011–12. On March 26, 2012, one week after an adoption of an infant girl fell through at the last moment, Watson and his wife adopted a one-month old baby boy named Caleb.
Watson's father, Gerry Lester Watson, Sr.,died on October 15, 2010 of throat cancer.Watson's mother is Molly Marie Watson and he has a sister, Melinda Watson Conner.
Watson is also a member of the "Golf Boys", a boy band consisting of Watson, Ben Crane, Rickie Fowler, and Hunter Mahan. Their hit song "Oh Oh Oh" is currently on Youtube. The video was produced by Farmers Insurance Group. Farmers donates $1000 to charity for every 100,000 views the video gets
Watson is a committed Christian, speaks openly about the importance of faith in his life, and devotes much of his money and time to charity
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