Bubba Protests Long Drive Competition at PGA

[David in FL]

I'm a Bubba fan, but this seems like a huge over-reaction.    Only thing I can think of from his viewpoint is that everyone thinks he should win the long drive & maybe he didn't want the pressure of losing it or the hype if he won it.     Bubba loses fan points on this one ...

Yep.

I like him too......but he's trying awfully hard to change that.

[Reval14]

I thought "it's Bubba-long...." I hate that guy.

[Crim]

I get the feeling that every single thing Bubba does outside of golf like the music video and riding around in a hovercraft is all PR stunts that he really doesn't want to do. I believe on Ferhety he stated that he only got onto Twitter because his manager told him too.

This taking out the 3 iron to prove a point was incredibly petty. I was on the fence with him, this knocked me off.

Brutally honest? He's an incredible golfer that I now hope misses the cut.

[albatross]

I get the feeling that every single thing Bubba does outside of golf like the music video and riding around in a hovercraft is all PR stunts that he really doesn't want to do. I believe on Ferhety he stated that he only got onto Twitter because his manager told him too.

This taking out the 3 iron to prove a point was incredibly petty. I was on the fence with him, this knocked me off.

Brutally honest? He's an incredible golfer that I now hope misses the cut.

Yes, yes, and YES!

[newtogolf]

Here's another quote from post practice round interview;

Watson said the 10th hole will require him to use a driver during the tournament. He said he hit a 3-iron yesterday “to prove a point that nobody cared” about the competition.

“I hit my 3-iron perfect, though, right down the middle,” he said. “Longest 3-iron of the day. I won that competition, take that.”

The top three finishers in the event received a money clip inspired by the one that Nicklaus, who designed Valhalla, got for the first of his consecutive driving contest titles in 1963. Nicklaus, using a persimmon driver and wound golf ball, hit a winning drive of 341 yards, 17 inches, that year. Watson leads the U.S. PGA Tour with a 313.6-yard driving average this season.

The top three long drive finishers split charitable donations of $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000. Players could donate their half to a charity of their choice, with the remainder going to the Nicklaus-designed American Lake Veterans Golf Course in Tacoma, Washington, the only U.S. golf course designed for the rehabilitation of wounded veterans.

I don't see how him hitting a 3i proved no one cared, because he obviously cared enough to switch clubs during practice and hit one he'd never use during a round.  The event was for charity and even if he didn't want to support the Nicklaus charity he could have donated his half to the charity he claims is so important to him personally.

Overall he comes off very selfish and childish here, will be interesting to see how the fans react to him during the tournament.

[inthehole]

if he really wanted to make a statement - he should have ripped a 3 wood which would have probably challenged most everybody else's drives ... YOU'RE WELCOME !

[Slowcelica]

I don't really care about his religion. The Ned Flanders stuff can get annoying, but whatever man, live your life however you want. What bothers me about him is his constant whining. He seems to have a beef with the course or spectators. At Pinehurst, he said the course was too hard before the tournament. In Europe, he seems to not like anything about it. His ignorance about France was hilarious, but I suppose that's not his job. Today he makes a simple thing into a huge deal. All he needed to do was decline, he didn't need to go on some spiel about how he thinks it's nonsense. When NBA player decline to be in the slam dunk contest, they just say no. They don't go on a rant about how it's a waste of time and stupid. Cut out the talk, play golf. He's becoming lamer and less cool John Daly. Just my 2 cents on Bubba.

Compairing this to the dunk contest sing even the same thing, a better comparison would be the nba asking the players to do 1 dunk in practice and the winner gets $$ donated to their charity.

[Slowcelica]

His religion had nothing to do with this, it shouldn't have even been brought up by him or anyone.

[Spyder]

Very bubba-esque. He's so damn whiny that it irritates me to the core. Just play your damn driver, state your discontent with the "long drive" afterwards and move along. You're not protesting anything by pulling an iron, you're just being a child. It was both for charity and for fun. Play along and voice your opinion afterwards. Bubba, always so whiny, Bubba. I think he should have Kotex as a sponsor and they should paint a big pink pad on his bag to match his driver.

[Cool Breeze]

His religion had nothing to do with this, it shouldn't have even been brought up by him or anyone.

You're correct, it shouldn't have but when he brought it up it did become a part of the conversation.  He was a dick and then tried to invoke religion to prove he wasn't.

If someone is truly a good person or a good Christian, they don't have to tell you, it is obvious by their actions.

Sorry Bubba, beliefs don't make you a good or bad person, actions do.

I really hadn't followed him much off the course and never realized what a douche nozzle he was.  I was surprised.

[Mr. Desmond]

Bubba may need a new drug ... too much overwrought emotion

[14ledo81]

Anybody else think it would be comical if he pulls driver on that hole on the first day and hits it decent, but in a bad spot..

"hmm...guess I should have practiced that one..."

[Crim]

Anybody else think it would be comical if he pulls driver on that hole on the first day and hits it decent, but in a bad spot..

"hmm...guess I should have practiced that one..."

I hope he pulls it OB tomorrow on that hole.

[RonTheSavage]

I can see both points. Im no Bubba fan but if he doesn’t want to participate then why give the guy a hard time about it? But then again it's for charity and Jack Freakin Nicklaus did it back in the day Bubba you can do it today. I think I just swayed myself to the side of Bubba needs to get over himself. Bigger question why is Jason Day doing this with that wrist injury??

[Crim]

I can see both points. Im no Bubba fan but if he doesn’t want to participate then why give the guy a hard time about it?

Bigger question why is Jason Day doing this with that wrist injury??

1. To me it wasn't the fact that he didn't want to participate, it was the fact that he pulled 3 iron "to prove a point." What a damn child.

2. It was literally one drive. ONE DRIVE. I'm sure Jason will be fine.

[Ernest Jones]

1. To me it wasn't the fact that he didn't want to participate, it was the fact that he pulled 3 iron "to prove a point." What a damn child.

Exactly, and seeing as it was a hole WHERE HE WOULD HAVE HIT DRIVER ANYWAY, he's just being a moron.

I agree with @14ledo81 and @Crim , I hope he pumps one OB in the first round when he gets to that hole.

[zipazoid]

Ugh. When he was asked why he didn't participate, I'm surprised he didn't answer with, "You're welcome."

[RonTheSavage]

Exactly, and seeing as it was a hole WHERE HE WOULD HAVE HIT DRIVER ANYWAY , he's just being a moron. I agree with @14ledo81 and @Crim , I hope he pumps one OB in the first round when he gets to that hole.

Yeah that was a D__K move for sure