So what about those rather unpleasant polls? The spirit of a Ryder Cup team-room is sacrosanct, and the key to Europe's success over the last two decades, the one intangible asset the all-star US team is desperately striving to find. Does Bubba belong in a happy team? If there was a so-called "job" for me, it's more to have fun and loosen up the guys.
You got that close to a point. Or let's say you lost on the last hole - let's just have fun. That's where I fit in, just trying to loosen up the guys, and I'm goofy already so it works out perfect. They kinda giggle. Watson laughs as he diminishes the importance of his own role in the team even further: to that of chief sandwich-maker. It is, he says, a talent discovered while serving as a vice-captain at the Ryder Cup, which he failed to qualify for and was then overlooked as a wild card, despite being ranked No 7 in the world which only added to the rumours that his face did not quite fit.
He will be wearing an ultra-patriotic pair of golf shoes featuring the American flag when he tees it up in Paris this week. The captain is basically an honour position. He's trying to make the best team and to give them the best chance to win.
The other guys knew what they were doing so I was just there to make sandwiches. Peanut butter and jelly, I'm known for that. He's also famous for one of the Ryder Cup's most extraordinary and spine-tingling moments. On the 1st tee at Medinah in , he whipped the crowd into a star-spangled frenzy yet still managed to smash away one of his plus-yard howitzers amid deafening whoops and hollers.
It won him many fans, including in his own team room. He's crazy enough, also, to do it again in Paris. Watson has promised he will be performing his party piece once again, but he's having to practice especially for it, because the first hole at Le Golf National features nearly as much water as the pond that separates the two continents.
Normally every tournament we start out with a driver - you tee it up and hit the big dog - but this one is going to be an iron off the tee, unless the weather changes completely and it's dead into the wind. So I might have to practice hitting an iron off the tee with some cheering cause you get so amped up… if you hit it fat they're going to laugh at you.
This Paris crowd — including the 6, crammed into 'Le Monstre', the giant grandstand around the 1st tee alone - might be especially unforgiving to Watson. In , he missed the cut at the French Open, sparking an epic moan about the course, spectator behaviour and lack of security. Even some of Paris's most iconic landmarks failed to impress. One of those. Watson laughs off any suggestion of bad blood — 'Nah, they love me over there!
But he clearly hates being reminded of the bad memories, and thinks he's been treated harshly. He admits he was immature but explains how his behaviour was rooted in his own deep insecurity. Watson plans once again to gee up the crowd to cheer loudly while he hits off the 1st tee. I show up over here and I was scared, scared to death.
I'd never really been out of the country and been the focal point, so it was something new to me. Going back now many years later I could breathe. We were in carts, just shooting the breeze with fellow Americans, and I could see the beauty in the golf course. I wasn't scared to death on every tee shot. And I realised you've got to hit irons off tees, play a different game. It was good fun. Many people don't know that I was in France for a while, and it was fun. He doesn't want to divulge anything else about his time there.
Garrabrant via Getty Images Bubba Watson told reporters after holding the hole lead at the Masters that gay people are sinners, when asked about Jason Collins revealing his homosexuality. He treats the media like second-class citizens Photo: Ghetty Images The low point came at the French Open when, apparently homesick, Bubba acted like a prima donna the whole week. He treats his caddie like a third-class citizen When Bubba Watson treated his caddie Ted Scott like a third-class citizen at the Travellers Championship, the entire world got to listen in.
He mentions religion way too much Bubba Watson makes no secret of mentioning God, Jesus or the Bible in many of his interviews and social media posts. Related Articles See all. All rights reserved. Connect with:. Sign up with Facebook. The title came down to that match and Reed won, 2 and 1. Reed is one of those players like Tiger Woods who make you wonder why television networks run live audio feeds during shots. On Friday, in the second round of the Masters, he dropped a typical f-bomb after a bad shot.
Less forgivable was when he angrily used a gay slur to describe himself, something for which he issued a legitimate apology without any of the usual parsing. It was at Bethpage in New York. He was probably right. When he was denied a free drop at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month, Reed complained that he was getting shoddy treatment. Then came the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in Scotland. It was great theater in a contentious competition but only furthered the stereotypes about Reed.
Patrick Reed got George W. Bush to re-create his infamous shush pose. They went hole-for-hole and celebration-for-celebration, with each trying to one-up each other throughout the round. McIlroy mocked the Gleneagles shushing, the two traded shouts after making big putts and there was even some Dikembe-like finger-wagging.
It was never contentious at one point that bumped fists while walking to the next hole and should have been something that endeared Reed to an international audience. Reed won the match, scoring 3. He represented the U. While Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth and a number of top European players stayed away and lamely blamed their absence on the threat of the Zika virus, Reed was there talking about how great he felt representing Team USA.
His aforementioned Ryder Cup heroics should make him a beloved character. If you want to dislike Reed, go ahead. Golf needs a heel — not just somebody to root against but someone who leans into it.
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