Bubba Watson

Watson experienced a life-changing couple of weeks beginning March 26, 2012, when he and his wife, Angie, adopted a baby boy. Less than two weeks later, at the Masters, he hit an amazing shot from the trees at Augusta National's 10th hole that found the green. Two putts later, he defeated Louis Oosthuizen to capture his first major.
Watson began playing golf with the encouragement of his late father, Gerry. He attended the same high school, Milton (Fla.) High School, a few years after future PGA Tour players Heath Slocum and Boo Weekley. He was named first-team junior-college All-American at Faulkner State in Alabama. He also attended the University of Georgia, where he helped the Bulldogs to the 2000 SEC title. Watson, whose real name is Gerry Lester Watson Jr., was nicknamed "Bubba" by his father for former professional football player Bubba Smith.
Finished T-87th in the 2002 PGA Tour Qualifying School to get his Korn Ferry Tour card. Advanced to the PGA Tour in 2006 after finishing 21st on the previous year's Korn Ferry Tour. Claimed his first PGA Tour win in 2010 at the Travelers Championship. Lost in a playoff to Martin Kaymer at the 2010 PGA Championship and played a month later on the 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup Team. Also played on the 2011 and '15 U.S. Presidents Cup teams and the 2012 and '14 Ryder Cup teams.
2003 Korn Ferry Tour Summary: Tournaments Entered - 21; In Money - 13; Top-10 Finishes - 2; Scoring Average - 70.69 (rank 45th); Money - $79,854 (rank 63rd); Best Finish - T-7th, Lake Erie Charity Classic.
2004 Korn Ferry Tour Summary: Tournaments Entered - 17; In Money - 14; Top-10 Finishes - 3; Scoring Average - 70.44 (rank 17th); Money - $142,904 (rank 37th); Best Finishes - 2nd, Lake Erie Charity Classic and the Mark Christopher Charity Classic.
2005 Korn Ferry Tour Summary: Tournaments Entered - 24; In Money - 19; Top-10 Finishes - 5; Scoring Average - 70.40 (rank 14th); Money - $202,437 (rank 21st); Best Finish - T-2nd, BMW Charity Pro-Am at the Cliffs.
2010 Notes: Watson, the second-longest driver on tour, got his first win at the Travelers Championship on a short and straight course. He came close to winning the PGA Championship but lost a three-hole playoff to Martin Kaymer. Ended the year playing all four FedExCup playoff events, finishing 22nd in the rankings and 15th on the money list. He again topped his previous year's achievements with a win, a pair of runner-up finishes, and a 3rd-place result. Since joining the Tour in 2006, he had improved each year. He played in the Ryder Cup, posting a 1-3-0 record for the U.S.
2011 Notes: Recorded his first two-win season. Made 19 cuts and missed only two, with eight top-25 finishes. Career-best 11th in the FedExCup standings and 10th on the money list. Had a playoff win over Webb Simpson at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In his first Presidents Cup appearance, he posted a 3-2-0 record.
2012 Notes: Won his first major at the Masters and played the most consistent golf of his career, posting career highs in top-10s (7) and top-25s (16). Had six top-5s, including runner-up finishes at the WGC-Cadillac Championship and Travelers Championship. Finished 13th in the FedExCup standings and 5th on the money list. He went 2-2-0 at the Ryder Cup, losing the opening singles match to Luke Donald. Watson purchased a mansion in the Isleworth community of Windermere, Fla., that was previously owned by Tiger Woods.
2013 Notes: Battled an illness for much of the week at the weather-shortened Hyundai Tournament of Champions but managed a T-4th finish with rounds of 70-69-71. Other top-10s: T-9th when he lost in the third round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play to Jason Day and 4th at the Travelers Championship. Was 37th in the FedExCup standings and 44th on the money list.
2014 Notes: Missed a five-foot putt at the 72nd hole that would have tied him with Kevin Stadler at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and finished 2nd. Two weeks later, he shot closing rounds of 64-64 at the Northern Trust to earn his first victory since the 2012 Masters. Came close to winning the WGC-Cadillac, but fell a stroke short to Patrick Reed. It was his ninth career runner-up finish. He won the Masters for the second time when he shot eight under par. The victory came in his 201st PGA Tour start at age 35 years, 5 months, and 8 days. Became the 17th player in Masters history with two or more wins. Joined Jose Maria Olazabal, Ben Crenshaw, Bernhard Langer, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Watson, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, and Horton Smith as players with two Masters titles. Is second among left-handers (Phil Mickelson has five) with two career wins in a major. Entered the final round of The Memorial with a one-shot lead, but a final-round, even-par 72 dropped him to 3rd place. Didn't have another top-15 result until he finished 2nd at the BMW Championship with rounds of 70-66-66-66. He moved from 6th to 3rd in the FedExCup standings entering the Tour Championship, which meant he controlled his own destiny. Finished 14th at East Lake G.C., a career-best 5th in the FedExCup standings, and a 2nd on the money list. At the Ryder Cup, he posted a 0-3-0 record. He and his wife, Angie, adopted their daughter (Dakota) in December.
2015 Notes: Got his year off to a great start, eagling the 72nd hole at the WGC-HSBC Champions when his bunker shot found the hole, putting him in a playoff with Tim Clark. Birdied the first extra hole at Sheshan International GC to defeat Clark and earn his first World Golf Championships title. Seven months later, he won the Travelers for a second time when he defeated Paul Casey in a playoff. Finished 10th at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and T-2nd at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, one stroke behind Brooks Koepka. Watson was in contention in the final round, defending his Northern Trust title but shot three over on the second nine to finish T-14th, four strokes out of the playoff. Two weeks later, Watson again was in contention at the WGC-Cadillac Championship but finished 3rd, two strokes behind winner Dustin Johnson. Came close at the RBC Canadian Open with a final-round 69 but finished 2nd, a stroke behind Jason Day. For a second consecutive week, Watson again posted a runner-up result, two strokes behind Shane Lowry at the WGC-Bridgestone. Was very productive at the FedExCup playoffs, finishing 3rd at the Barclays, T-9th at the Deutsche Bank, T-10th at the BMW Championship, and T-5th at the Tour Championship. Was 5th in the FedExCup standings and 3rd on the money list. Went 2-1-2 in his four Presidents Cup matches. Ended the year 3rd at the Taiheiyo Masters in Japan, 1st at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, and T-15th at the Thailand Golf Championship.
2016 Notes: Finished T-10th at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Fired birdie-birdie-par over the final three holes at the Northern Trust Open in February to win the event for the second time. Two weeks later, he finished 2nd at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. After finishing T-37th at the Masters, flew to China and was 8th at Shenzhen International. Represented the United States at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, finishing T-8th in the 60-player field. Was T-10th in the Tour Championship. He played 19 events on the PGA Tour, with four top-10s, and ranked 21st in the FedExCup standings and 18th on the money list. Ended his year with a T-6th finish at the Hero World Challenge.
2017 Notes: Finished T-25th at the SBS Tournament of Champions. Lost in the round of 16 to Ross Fisher at the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship and finished T-9th. He cleaned up his diet and lost between 15 to 20 pounds. Also began using a different golf ball that took a bit of time to get used to. Finished T-6th at The Memorial and T-10th at the Northern Trust. Wrapped up the season 75th in the FedExCup standings, his worst showing in the 11-year history of the FedExCup.
2018 Notes: Played 24 PGA Tour events, making 19 cuts with six top-10 finishes. Placed 10th in the FedExCup standings. Began the final round of the Genesis Open with a one-stroke lead over Patrick Cantlay and carded a two-under 69 to finish at 12-under 272, good for a two-stroke win over Kevin Na and Tony Finau. Marked his 10th PGA Tour victory, and first since winning the 2016 Genesis Open, in his 279th start at 39 years, 3 months, 13 days. Claimed his third victory at the Genesis Open, having won the event in 2014 and '16. Tied Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer with three Genesis Open wins, trailing only MacDonald Smith and Lloyd Mangrum, who have four each. The win also helped Watson get into the WGC-Mexico Championship and the WGC-Dell Match Play. Going into Genesis, Bubba was 117th in the Official World Golf Ranking. With the win, he climbed to 40th, which got him into both events. At the WGC-Mexico, he finished T-9th, six strokes out of the Mickelson/Thomas playoff. Won again at the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship, where he defeated Kevin Kisner 7 & 6 in the final. Finished T-5th at the Masters, six strokes behind winner Patrick Reed. Shot a final-round 63 to win by three strokes over Paul Casey in the Travelers Championship. It was the third time he won at the Travelers, the site of his first PGA Tour victory in 2010. Earned his last top-10 with a T-7th at the Dell Technologies Championship. Made his fourth Ryder Cup appearance in France and finished the week with a 1-2-0 record. Lost his singles match to Henrik Stenson 5 & 4.
2019 Notes: Played in 19 PGA Tour events, making 14 cuts with three top-10 finishes. Was 81st in the FedExCup standings. He finished T-4th at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in his 300th PGA Tour start. Bogeyed four of his first five holes in the final round before three birdies and an eagle over his last 10 holes resulted in a score of 71, five shots behind winner Rickie Fowler. Had a T-4th finish at the Valspar Championship, where his final-round 68 brought him to within two strokes of winner Paul Casey. In defense of his WGC-Dell Match Play title, Watson lost his first two matches in his group and finished T-40th. Did have a T-12th finish at the Masters, where he shot 67-69 over the weekend. Shot 68-69 over the weekend to finish T-9th at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. In the FedExCup playoffs, missed the cut at the Northern Trust.
2020 Notes: Played in 20 PGA Tour events, making 13 cuts with three top-10s. Finished 46th in the FedExCup standings. Was T-6th at the Farmers Insurance Open and T-3rd at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, three strokes out of the Simpson/Finau playoff. After the break, was T-7th at the Charles Schwab Challenge, two strokes out of the Berger/Morikawa playoff. In the FedExCup playoffs, was T-18th at the Northern Trust and T-16th at the BMW Championship.
2021 Notes: Played in 22 PGA Tour events, making 17 cuts with five top-ten finishes. Was 81st in the FedExCup standings. After an opening-round 74, shot 69-65-68 to finish T-7th at the CJ Cup @ Shadow Creek. Was T-4th at the Zozo Championship @ Sherwood, four shots back of winner Patrick Cantlay. At the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, finished T-9th, losing to Brian Harman 2 & 1 in the round of 16. Was T-8th at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with Scottie Scheffler as his partner. With a closing round of 64 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, he finished T-6th two shots back of the Davis/Merritt/Niemann playoff won by Davis. In the FedExCup Playoffs missed the cut at the Northern Trust.
2022 Notes: Played in 9 PGA Tour events, making 6 cuts with one top-ten finish. In the Saudi International watched Harold Varner III hole a 92-foot eagle putt on the 72nd hole to win, with Watson finishing 2nd a shot back. Finished T-4th at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with partner Harold Varner III. At the PGA Championship, he opened up with rounds of 72-63. But he was in terrible pain, and something was seriously wrong with his knee. At the time he was a shot from the lead held by Rory McIlroy and felt he just had to grind it out. Despite the pain he finished the final 36 holes shooting 73-75 to fade into a T-30th. When he returned home to Florida and had tests, doctors told him his meniscus was detached and came off the bone. He needed surgery and doctors had to put an anchor on one side of his knee to wrap the meniscus around it. He rehabbed it for the next seven months and was able to finally hit drivers and resumed full practice in December.
2023 Notes: He played in the 2023 PIF Saudi International and missed the cut. Also missed the cut at the Masters.