Bubba Watson
The Defender
Bubba Watson’s heroics in 2012 provided us with a comparable Masters in terms of drama and theatre to that of Charl Schwartzel’s epic of 2011. We should expect no less in 2013 – of the spectacle and of Watson, no matter his form leading in.
Bubba went slightly off the boil on the course after Augusta last year, as did Schwartzel after his win. Watson checked himself out from the game for all the right reasons after donning the Green Jacket, playing only one tournament before June to spend valuable time with his wife and their newly adopted son.
In truth, he probably needed the time out to recover from the emotional aftermath of The Masters win. Have more tears by a champion ever been shed in the period from the final putt through to the Green Jacket presentation?
Augusta National is almost as well suited to Watson as it was to the late Seve Ballesteros in his heyday, rewarding his length from the tee while excusing a somewhat less than surgically accurate path from tee to green.
Watson, like Ballesteros and Phil Mickelson, also possesses a wonderful, creative imagination and the fearless ability to see and hit shots that others aren’t capable of. His play-off win over Louis Oosthuizen was the clearest demonstration of that – with a 40-yard hooked wedge from the trees on the 10th to within 15 feet – to seal the result.
Watson has been solid but not spectacular in limited starts this year but was deeply moved by his achievement in winning in 2012 and will not need any motivation when he drives down Magnolia Lane as the defending champion. You’d expect no less than a very strong defence.
