With Bubba Watson, anything is possible
If the reigning Masters champ can master Medinah, or at least score crucial points for the United States this weekend and hoist the Ryder Cup Sunday, what’s next, another hilarious Golf Boys music video?
A prank on captain Davis Love III?
A lob wedge off the drivable, par-4 15th tee box?
“I’m still trying to figure him out,” Webb Simpson said with a smile for Bubba Watson, his Ryder Cup teammate.
Known as much for being a jokester as he is for being an extraordinary long hitter of the golf ball, the southpaw-hitting Watson is appearing in his second Ryder Cup.
Watson wasn’t picked by captain Davis Love III to play in this morning’s foursomes format. But if the 33-year-old delivers the game that he brought to Augustana National in April, when he outlasted Louis Oosthuizen in a sudden-death playoff to capture his first major championship, Watson could put the home crowd into a frenzy.
His laid-back, loose and fun-loving nature make him a fan-favorite candidate.
This is a player, mind you, who recently pranked golf writer Alex Miceli during a live segment on the Golf Channel’s “On the Range,” pantomiming behind Miceli, pretending to fall asleep and then looking at his wristwatch.
Last year, Watson, wearing only denim overalls, performed in a goofy music video with fellow tour players/Golf Boys members Rickie Fowler, Ben Crane and Hunter Mahan.
Watson has his own YouTube channel. His other videos have included him teeing off on cakes and lettuce.
And you thought the name “Bubba” alone was fun.
“What you see in his golf videos and all the other funny stuff he does, that’s him on the golf course,” said reigning U.S. Open champ Webb, who’s good friends with Watson away from the game. “He jokes around. He still is a competitor. You can’t win the Masters and not be a very tough competitor.”
There is definitely a serious side to Watson, who went just 1-3 in the 2010 Ryder Cup in Wales.
Less than two weeks before he donned the green jacket at Augusta National, he and his wife, Angie, adopted a one-month-old boy, Caleb.
“It’s been a great year,” Watson said Thursday at Medinah. “Adopting a son was the best thing this year.”
Who’s your caddie?U.S. captain Davis Love III announced that his regular caddie, Jeff Weber, will be the bagman this week for Dustin Johnson. A back injury last week sustained by Johnson#146;s regular caddie, Bobby Brown, has not improved enough for Brown to loop for Johnson at Medinah.#147;Bobby is just such a good guy and an upbeat guy, and he#146;s really down about it,#148; Love said. #147;Luckily we had some extras around. We were all fighting over who got to caddie for Dustin. My brother wanted to caddie and I wanted to caddie. Dustin is like, #145;All right, cool, I#146;ve got a caddie, let#146;s go.#146; He#146;s happy.#148;First off, foursomes: The Ryder Cup commences today with foursomes (or alternate-shot format), as chosen by U.S. captain Davis Love III.In 2008, when the Ryder Cup was last played in the United States, captain Paul Azinger decided to go with foursomes on Friday morning and the U.S. jumped to a 3-1 lead en route to the Americans#146; only Ryder Cup victory in this century. Webb gems: If he gets to hold aloft the Ryder Cup Sunday, Webb Simpson should look like an old pro, despite the fact that he#146;s playing in his first Ryder Cup.Simpson, one of four rookies on the U.S. squad, captured the U.S. Open in June. In July, his wife gave birth to daughter Willow.In 2011, Simpson was holding aloft son James and welcoming him into the world.#147;I feel like a very blessed person, just to have the family that I have,#148; Simpson said. #147;I#146;ve represented my country in the Walker Cup and Presidents Cup, but to finally do it in the Ryder Cup is a dream come true. I feel honored to be here this week and am looking forward to getting everything started.#148;No Sales29092083United States Bubba Watson walks the red carpet with Tiger Woods during the opening ceremonies of Ryder Cup at Medinah on Thursday. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.comNo Sales