Bubba Watson....Fan or not a fan?

[saevel25]

He's a very polarizing figure in golf. He's got this amazing ability to hit shots that is absurd. I think that ability just resonates with golfers. I also get how some golfers would never break down or have such emotional reactions to certain situations on the golf course that Bubba has shown.

I can live with the outbursts from time to time. I think he's been better over the past few years. I just admire his ability as a ball striker. There is just something really amazing watching him curve the hell out of that ball and still be able to be one of the better golfers in the world.

[Ferguson]

Not a fan, but I’m not going to criticize him either. The guy has two wins at the Augusta Masters. Enough said.

[jamo]

Not a fan, but I’m not going to criticize him either. The guy has two wins at the Augusta Masters. Enough said.

That's an odd standard. Tiger has 4 Masters and people criticize him all the time.

[dkolo]

I'd say I'm not a fan of Bubba's. I like watching him for the most part, but when he gets into one of his moods when things are going badly or he starts snapping at the crowd or his caddy, it's really tough to root for him. There's enough stories about people who know him not liking him, so I don't really get on the Bubba fan train. Not that it matters, really. There's so many great golfers, who has time to like all of them?

[Zeph]

Never been a fan, no. Good golfer, but what I've seen doesn't make me want to root for him.

[Ernest Jones]

I'd say I'm not a fan of Bubba's. I like watching him for the most part, but when he gets into one of his moods when things are going badly or he starts snapping at the crowd or his caddy, it's really tough to root for him. There's enough stories about people who know him not liking him, so I don't really get on the Bubba fan train. Not that it matters, really. There's so many great golfers, who has time to like all of them?

I agree wholeheartedly with the above.

[Ferguson]

That's an odd standard. Tiger has 4 Masters and people criticize him all the time.

No, you don't understand. When I go on a rant, bad things happen. No thanks. I'll just grin and say, Bubba is Bubba.

[GolfLug]

Fan, absolutely. At this level I am able to compartmentalize personal shortcomings unless they are straight up criminal. FWIW I like Patrick Reed too. The play is just too riveting and fun.

[Kieran123]

I just watched Bubbas press conference at The Masters - it was actually really good.

[Crim]

I just watched Bubbas press conference at The Masters - it was actually really good.

Not gonna lie, I think his has been my favorite thus far.

Though I never got to see Henrik's or Phil's....those two are usually my fav.

Despite trying to convince people that Rory is an exciting/funny individual...which i do believe....I must say he had quite the boring press conference.

[Tee2Trees]

I like to see some personality.  You're watching golf on TV after all, so how could you not?  Reed and Bubba especially.  I'm sure his caddy will be able to heal his bruised ego with the 6 figure paychecks Bubba wins for him.  Sorry to hear it if he intends to change anything.

[dkolo]

I like to see some personality.  You're watching golf on TV after all, so how could you not?  Reed and Bubba especially.  I'm sure his caddy will be able to heal his bruised ego with the 6 figure paychecks Bubba wins for him.  Sorry to hear it if he intends to change anything.

It's reasonable to think he'll get over it considering the good living he makes from it, but that doesn't mean Bubba couldn't still treat him with respect despite paying the guy a boatload of money. And the fans he snaps at aren't on Bubba's payroll.

I like Reed a lot myself, but based on what Michael Collins has written on ESPN, he's another guy who is apparently not popular on the Tour. That I'm more curious about. Might just be something innocuous like he keeps to himself (he had his wife caddy for him for a while, if I recall correctly).

[14ledo81]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tee2Trees

I like to see some personality.  You're watching golf on TV after all, so how could you not?  Reed and Bubba especially.  I'm sure his caddy will be able to heal his bruised ego with the 6 figure paychecks Bubba wins for him.  Sorry to hear it if he intends to change anything.

It's reasonable to think he'll get over it considering the good living he makes from it, but that doesn't mean Bubba couldn't still treat him with respect despite paying the guy a boatload of money. And the fans he snaps at aren't on Bubba's payroll.

I like Reed a lot myself, but based on what Michael Collins has written on ESPN, he's another guy who is apparently not popular on the Tour. That I'm more curious about. Might just be something innocuous like he keeps to himself (he had his wife caddy for him for a while, if I recall correctly).

Agreed.

Just because you can do something and get away with it, does not mean you should.

[newnoggin]

Every time this bigot loses is a victory for humanity. He represents hatred and bias.

[Bryan Kasper]

Tough call.

Big fan of his aggressive playing style.

Big fan of anyone who routinely hits a 9i 200 freakin' yards.

Can't stand his putting, especially his routine with the herky-jerky practice strokes that appear to bear no relationship whatsoever to the putt at hand.

He also comes off as a bit of a prick in a lot of situations although he seemed to be a pretty cool playing partner in the final round of the Masters.

I voted "not a fan"

i was wondering why the heck he always does that. makes no sense, i remember when i first saw it and thought he was planning on hitting the ball off the other side of the green. haha

[mvmac]

I dislike when he misses a putt and then stares at something between him and the hole that might of (probably didn't) caused his ball to bounce offline. It's something he does almost every time I watch him play.

[boogielicious]

I dislike when he misses a putt and then stares at something between him and the hole that might of (probably didn't) caused his ball to bounce offline. It's something he does almost every time I watch him play.

A lot of pros do that. They act like the course did this to them and not that is was a misread.

Billy Horschel also does a "snake" dance at times!

[krupa]

I originally voted "Yes" because of the goofy stuff he'd do such as show up at Golf Galaxy, the golf car hovercraft, and those stupid music videos, etc.  Then he snapped at his caddie a few times and complained about water on his clubs, etc.  So... I guess at this point I'm indifferent.

He certainly comes off as an ass but I think if I were in the public spotlight, I'd come off as an ass too.  Public figures get way too much scrutiny and every misstep is amplified because for every 1 person doing something noteworthy, we have 100 people writing about it.  Perspectives get out of whack.  People use his religious faith to further judge him when he makes a mistake: "if he's so religious, why's he such as ass?" but that's holding him to another false, high standard.  Being religious and "devout" doesn't mean you're going to be perfect, it means you've accepted that you aren't and you try to do better.  People write about when he (or anyone) screws up, because that gets views.  No one will read a story with the headline, "Bubba didn't say or do anything inflammatory today."  So again, perspectives get whacked; if we only see when they act up, we forget all the days when they haven't.

I haven't tried very hard but I haven't seen/found any evidence of bigotry.

So as I said, I'm indifferent.  I couldn't handle the attention that these guys get so I'm not going to judge them to harshly when they don't handle it as well as we want them to.