Bubba Watson

Pressure Performance Analysis

Summary
As expected of a player who’s contended so much, Bubba has won from leading and chasing positions plenty of times. However, he's been poor of late and on the balance of all evidence, he is best coming from off the pace. His Golf Betting Club Pressure Performance Rating is set to ⭐⭐.

February 2018
✅ Came from 6 shots back to miss out on a playoff by one shot at the Saudi International. Finished birdie-eagle and traded 1.1 on the betfair Exchange but Varner finished strong to win. 

June 2021
❌ Jointly led the Travelers Championship through 54 holes.  Collapsed when well positioned on the final six holes to drop to 19th.  A worrying performance under pressure.

October 2020
 ➖ Bubba trailed by four shots going into the final round of the Zozo Championship.  Shot a 68 to remain four back at the end of the tournament.

August 2020
❌ Three shots back at the BMW Championship, Bubba shot a final round 72 to slip to 16th.

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. 

February 2018
✅ He has also won from the front at the Genesis Open where he converted a one stroke lead heading into R4 to win by 2 shots.

February 2016
✅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.

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.

Events to back Watson

Waste Management Phoenix Open
Bubba's record of late in Phoenix has been very strong.  Three top 25 finishes, including a third and fourth, in the last three years underline how much he enjoys TPC Scottsdale.

Travelers Championship
Bubba is a three time winner of the Travelers and was 54 hole leader in 2021.  The Travelers also happens to be the second most attended PGA Tour event, 2nd only to the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

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.”