Player Profiles
Bubba WATSON (USA)
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Born: 5 November 1978
Birthplace: Orlando, Florida, USA College: University of Georgia Resides: Orlando, Florida, USA Major Wins: 2 Euro or PGA Tour Wins : 10 Other wins: 2 Grass Preference: Unknown Significant Life Events: No GBC Wind Performance Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ GBC Pressure Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Profile
Bubba is a two-time Masters Champion (2012 and 2014), WGC Matchplay (2018) and WGC HSBC Champion (2014). In total he has 12 PGA tour victories to his name, most recently at the 2018 Travellers Championship. One of the few left handed hitters on tour, Bubba is famous for his swashbuckling aggressive golf making him a fans favourite.
Bubba struggled badly in 2017 when he changed ball manufacturer from Titleist to Volvik. However, he bounced back in 2018 when recording three wins. Unfortunately, 2019 and 2020 didn't quite live up to expectations but he's more than capable of another win in 2021.
Stats Analysis
Long Game - Bubba’s strength is off the tee where he was 3rd for SG: Off the tee in 2019, including the 6th longest driver on tour. Similarly, in 2018 he was 5th SG: Off the tee so his driving has been consistent for a couple of years now. He was also 1st for the ‘going for the green’ category which reiterates Bubba’s aggressive style of play.
Short Game - The areas of improvement needed seems to be around the greens (124th) and putting (167th).
Par Scoring Average - 4th for Par 5 scoring average in 2019.
Trends
Unpredictable - Bubba’s last four wins have arrived after a below average performance in the previous week, with T35th his strongest effort (66th, 70th and a MC being the other three finishes). Similarly, his three Top-10’s in 2019 all came after poor finishes the week before. Bubba’s aggressive style only suits certain courses so don’t be afraid to back him if not in form, but the course fits the bill.
Major and WGC Analysis
Major's - Despite two Masters wins, Bubba has a surprisingly poor Majors record for a player of his quality - he has only missed three majors since 2008 and only has four Top-10 finishes in that time. Two of those were his wins at the Masters, in addition to a 5th place at Augusta in 2018 and a 2nd place at the USPGA back in 2010.
Bubba has never had a Top-20 finish at The Open Championship and missed 6 of 8 cuts at The US Open between 2012-2019.
WGC's - Bubba has a far better record at WGC’s with fourteen Top-10 finishes since 2011. Finished 18th and 28th in two starts in 2020.
Pressure Performance Rating
January 2020 - Five shots behind Jon Rahm at the Farmers Insurance Open. Shot an acceptable 69 but lost out by 5 to Marc Leishman.
June 2018 - At the Travelers Championship Bubba again came from 6 strokes behind Paul Casey to win by 3 with a final round 63. Don’t be afraid to back Bubba if he is a few strokes back heading into R4.
February 2018 - He has also won from the front fairly recently at the Genesis Open where he converted a one stroke lead heading into R4 to win by 2 shots.
February 2016 - He also won the Northern Trust Open, converting a 1 shot lead.
April 2014 - Bubba was joint leader heading into R4 at the 2014 Masters before winning by 3 shots.
April 2012 - Came from 3 behind to win his first Masters in 2012.
June 2010 - Win at the Travelers Championship was the largest R4 comeback on the PGA Tour since 2007 when he came from 6 shots back to win.
Summary - As expected of a player who’s contended so much, Bubba has won from leading and chasing positions plenty of times. Not had a proper chance to win on a Sunday since June 2018 so may have contention rust. However, on the balance of all evidence, his Golf Betting Club Pressure Performance Rating is set to 4 stars.
Playoff Record
5-1. Bubba has a very impressive playoff record with 5 wins, 1 loss. He hasn’t had a playoff since 2015 however, when two of those wins came at the WGC HSBC Championship over Tim Clark and the 2015 Travellers Championship which he defeated Paul Casey. He birdied the first playoff hole to defeat Clark and birdied the second extra hole to defeat Casey.
In 2012, he claimed his first Masters title defeating Louis Oosthuizen in the second hole of sudden death with a par at the tough par 4 10th. 2011 saw him defeat Webb Simpson at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with a birdie 4 at the second extra hole.
2010 saw him taste his only ever playoff defeat, losing to Martin Kaymer at the USPGA Championship where he hit his approach into the water on the third playoff hole. Earlier in the year he won his first playoff against Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank at the Travelers Championship. He birdied the first playoff hole to eliminate Pavin and parred the second playoff hole to defeat Verplank.
Bubba is also a WGC Matchplay champion so clearly relishes the battle in this format – he can be backed with confidence the next time he gets into a playoff.
Significant Quotes
WGC Mexico Championship 2020
“I've been hitting the ball great all year after training. I've been working on getting fitter, getting stronger so I can hold positions and hit the shots I want to hit. So today I just made putts.”
“I know my ball-striking is where I want it to be. My mind is where I want it to be and everything.”
“When you have patience and trust in yourself and your ability, that's when you can play good golf. I mean, all these guys at this field, at this event can play the game of golf, but it comes down to who's got the most patience and the freed-up mind and mental attitude.”
Masters 2019
“I take a lot out of it, but, gosh, I've been struggling finishing golf tournaments, 4‑putted ‑‑ I would have finished 7th in L.A. but I 4‑putted the last hole. Two bogeys here would have been a top‑10 with two pars, so I just kind of let some go, let some slide, so the confidence is there though, just my finishes aren't the best because they look pretty bad when you go, bogey, bogey and you 4‑putt the last hole.”
Travelers Championship 2018
“I was like, you know what? If we're going to lose the golf tournament, let's lose it hitting the big dog.”
“There are certain places that we've built our schedule, everybody builds their schedule around places they've seen, loved, the atmosphere, all of that comes into play. Around here there are a lot of driver holes where I can hit some drivers and shape it. Yeah, it's one of those things where it just fits our eye. You can see the fairway. You can see the shape of the holes and the greens are always in great shape, so it's fun.”
“Just last year I lost, give or take, 25 pounds, sickness. So fighting back, getting the strength back and the energy back, getting the mental focus and not feeling sorry for myself, all these things, getting it all back. Having a team that loves me.”
Bubba is a two-time Masters Champion (2012 and 2014), WGC Matchplay (2018) and WGC HSBC Champion (2014). In total he has 12 PGA tour victories to his name, most recently at the 2018 Travellers Championship. One of the few left handed hitters on tour, Bubba is famous for his swashbuckling aggressive golf making him a fans favourite.
Bubba struggled badly in 2017 when he changed ball manufacturer from Titleist to Volvik. However, he bounced back in 2018 when recording three wins. Unfortunately, 2019 and 2020 didn't quite live up to expectations but he's more than capable of another win in 2021.
Stats Analysis
Long Game - Bubba’s strength is off the tee where he was 3rd for SG: Off the tee in 2019, including the 6th longest driver on tour. Similarly, in 2018 he was 5th SG: Off the tee so his driving has been consistent for a couple of years now. He was also 1st for the ‘going for the green’ category which reiterates Bubba’s aggressive style of play.
Short Game - The areas of improvement needed seems to be around the greens (124th) and putting (167th).
Par Scoring Average - 4th for Par 5 scoring average in 2019.
Trends
Unpredictable - Bubba’s last four wins have arrived after a below average performance in the previous week, with T35th his strongest effort (66th, 70th and a MC being the other three finishes). Similarly, his three Top-10’s in 2019 all came after poor finishes the week before. Bubba’s aggressive style only suits certain courses so don’t be afraid to back him if not in form, but the course fits the bill.
Major and WGC Analysis
Major's - Despite two Masters wins, Bubba has a surprisingly poor Majors record for a player of his quality - he has only missed three majors since 2008 and only has four Top-10 finishes in that time. Two of those were his wins at the Masters, in addition to a 5th place at Augusta in 2018 and a 2nd place at the USPGA back in 2010.
Bubba has never had a Top-20 finish at The Open Championship and missed 6 of 8 cuts at The US Open between 2012-2019.
WGC's - Bubba has a far better record at WGC’s with fourteen Top-10 finishes since 2011. Finished 18th and 28th in two starts in 2020.
Pressure Performance Rating
January 2020 - Five shots behind Jon Rahm at the Farmers Insurance Open. Shot an acceptable 69 but lost out by 5 to Marc Leishman.
June 2018 - At the Travelers Championship Bubba again came from 6 strokes behind Paul Casey to win by 3 with a final round 63. Don’t be afraid to back Bubba if he is a few strokes back heading into R4.
February 2018 - He has also won from the front fairly recently at the Genesis Open where he converted a one stroke lead heading into R4 to win by 2 shots.
February 2016 - He also won the Northern Trust Open, converting a 1 shot lead.
April 2014 - Bubba was joint leader heading into R4 at the 2014 Masters before winning by 3 shots.
April 2012 - Came from 3 behind to win his first Masters in 2012.
June 2010 - Win at the Travelers Championship was the largest R4 comeback on the PGA Tour since 2007 when he came from 6 shots back to win.
Summary - As expected of a player who’s contended so much, Bubba has won from leading and chasing positions plenty of times. Not had a proper chance to win on a Sunday since June 2018 so may have contention rust. However, on the balance of all evidence, his Golf Betting Club Pressure Performance Rating is set to 4 stars.
Playoff Record
5-1. Bubba has a very impressive playoff record with 5 wins, 1 loss. He hasn’t had a playoff since 2015 however, when two of those wins came at the WGC HSBC Championship over Tim Clark and the 2015 Travellers Championship which he defeated Paul Casey. He birdied the first playoff hole to defeat Clark and birdied the second extra hole to defeat Casey.
In 2012, he claimed his first Masters title defeating Louis Oosthuizen in the second hole of sudden death with a par at the tough par 4 10th. 2011 saw him defeat Webb Simpson at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with a birdie 4 at the second extra hole.
2010 saw him taste his only ever playoff defeat, losing to Martin Kaymer at the USPGA Championship where he hit his approach into the water on the third playoff hole. Earlier in the year he won his first playoff against Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank at the Travelers Championship. He birdied the first playoff hole to eliminate Pavin and parred the second playoff hole to defeat Verplank.
Bubba is also a WGC Matchplay champion so clearly relishes the battle in this format – he can be backed with confidence the next time he gets into a playoff.
Significant Quotes
WGC Mexico Championship 2020
“I've been hitting the ball great all year after training. I've been working on getting fitter, getting stronger so I can hold positions and hit the shots I want to hit. So today I just made putts.”
“I know my ball-striking is where I want it to be. My mind is where I want it to be and everything.”
“When you have patience and trust in yourself and your ability, that's when you can play good golf. I mean, all these guys at this field, at this event can play the game of golf, but it comes down to who's got the most patience and the freed-up mind and mental attitude.”
Masters 2019
“I take a lot out of it, but, gosh, I've been struggling finishing golf tournaments, 4‑putted ‑‑ I would have finished 7th in L.A. but I 4‑putted the last hole. Two bogeys here would have been a top‑10 with two pars, so I just kind of let some go, let some slide, so the confidence is there though, just my finishes aren't the best because they look pretty bad when you go, bogey, bogey and you 4‑putt the last hole.”
Travelers Championship 2018
“I was like, you know what? If we're going to lose the golf tournament, let's lose it hitting the big dog.”
“There are certain places that we've built our schedule, everybody builds their schedule around places they've seen, loved, the atmosphere, all of that comes into play. Around here there are a lot of driver holes where I can hit some drivers and shape it. Yeah, it's one of those things where it just fits our eye. You can see the fairway. You can see the shape of the holes and the greens are always in great shape, so it's fun.”
“Just last year I lost, give or take, 25 pounds, sickness. So fighting back, getting the strength back and the energy back, getting the mental focus and not feeling sorry for myself, all these things, getting it all back. Having a team that loves me.”
