The "Bubba Show" has been a hit on the Internet because of Watson's trick shots, but his recent play is making him a breakthrough star in pro golf.
View full sizeFirst-round leader Bubba Watson acknowledges the crowd after making a birdie from off the 18th green Thursday at the World Golf Championships in Akron. AKRON, Ohio — They don't hug in his family, so Gerry "Bubba" Watson's outstretched arms only gathered in startled cheers on the 18th green at Firestone South, as he became the real-life star of "The Bubba Show."
Still, Bubba Watson is a guy the world should be itching to embrace.
There was Bubba, tossing the ball he had rolled into the cup for a 36-foot birdie on 18 to a kid as he strolled off the green toward the scorer's trailer.
There was Bubba, a Bridgestone rookie, who, after making putts from all over the place for a 6-under 64 and the first-round lead, said he was just trying to make the cut.
Informed that there is no cut in the exclusive invitational event, Watson said. "Perfect! Then I made it!"
Bubba is making it in a lot of ways, albeit as an overnight success who toiled five years on the PGA Tour before breaking through as a winner this summer.
"Bubba" is the nickname for the 31-year-old, self-taught player from the Florida Panhandle. The "Bubba Show" is made up of his happy-go-lucky Internet videos, featuring trick shots and comedy. He once wedged a ball out of a teeny-weeny loving cup, over a swimming pool, and into a sand pail. He once lashed the "Ol' Wooden Stick," a persimmon driver, at a pineapple on the tee in Maui. The shot, call it a "Hawaiian punch," juiced the thing toward Molokai.
Watson also once sang "Happy Birthday" to Ellen DeGeneres in a video, which doesn't have much to do with golf, but shows how willing he is to try to improve a stranger's day.
And talk about trick shots -- well, 18 on Thursday will suffice.
After the left-handed Watson sliced his drive into the left rough, he popped a lob wedge through a narrow opening, over the trees guarding the green, and left it at the green's bottom-most fringe. The putt rolled uphill, along a ridge, hung a right, and tumbled downhill, straight into the hole. Dozens of fans, baking in the early afternoon heat, whooped and clapped as Bubba spread his arms in surprise.
Watson said he was looking at the big picture, not immediate gratification, since so much golf is left to play here. His goal is to make the Ryder Cup team and play for his country. He needs a couple good weeks to sew up a spot. "No matter if your country wins or loses, it's a thrill. It's an honor. I would give up my win to play with the Ryder Cup. That's how much it means to me," Watson said.
His victory meant a great deal. But Bubba Watson is the son of a Green Beret. Patriotism means more.
In June, in Connecticut at the Travelers Championship, in a three-way playoff, after he came from six shots behind at the start of the final round, Watson finally won on the second playoff hole. His first, and thus far only, victory speech was an emotion-choked, tearful tribute to his father. Also named Gerry, the elder Watson has been stricken with throat cancer.
It was really the day his son needed to spread his arms and welcome the world's best wishes. A devout Christian, Bubba barely got through the part about how hard he was praying for his father before the dam broke.
"My dad is a Vietnam vet, Special Forces Green Beret, but he's a teddy bear now as he gets older. He talks more about family now. Growing up, it was like -- he was like a soldier. We don't hug, we don't -- Watson family doesn't hug. We don't say 'I love you,' " said Watson. "So now it's a lot different. He's changed a lot because he's battling something that's not good. But he's changed a lot, and as a whole family we've changed a lot."
Life isn't an Internet video with amazing shots you can practice until you get them right. But in one of the top 10 tournaments in the world, on an unfamiliar course, despite family problems, the Bubba show's first take Thursday was a bigger smash than the pineapple.