FINAL SHOT
Bubba Watson Alex Jenkins talks to the divisive two-time Masters champion about his win in Shanghai at the end of 2014, his goals for this year and his relationship with the media. You said after winning the WGC-HSBC Champions that winning outside the US was really important to you. Why was that and do you think you’ll be playing more golf overseas as a result? That’s a great question. I just want to win. I’ve won in the US a few times but I just think that people look at your career differently if you’ve won outside of your own country. It means you’ve had to travel, means had to get used to jetlag, had to play golf in many different places at a high level. It’s easier here [in the US] to go from state to state to play golf, than having to travel 16 hours by plane and learn a different kind of grass, different conditions. So for me on a personal level it means that my career will be a lot better if I’ve won a few outside the States. I mean Tiger [Woods] has won a tonne in the States and he’s also won a tonne outside the States. Jack Nicklaus – you can go through the greats of the game – they’ve all won outside the US. So for me it would be a positive in my career if I can win a few outside.
Ryo Ishikawa has been playing on Tour for like eight years and he’s still young. His short game for me is amazing. I believe Ryo, as young as
You’re known for your charitable involvements. How active are you in terms of helping junior golf? Yes, here in the US I give money to junior golf but I also hold my own tournament where I show up and watch the kids play. At the tournament in Japan [the Dunlop Phoenix event in December], I gave my money – it wasn’t very much, I think it was like US$10,000 – I gave them my prize money for junior golf in Japan. But yes, I’m very active in trying to help junior golf all across the world. The game of golf has given me so much, so why not give back and try to help other kids follow their dreams like I have.
AFP
Eyes on the prize: Watson’s goal at the beginning of ever year remains the same: qualify for either the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup team
What do you make of the quality of Asian golfers that you’ve come across and are there any players in particular that have impressed you?
he is, could be a great talent in this game. He is learning different cultures having moved over to the US but I think he’s one of the special talents. Hideki Matsuyama: he’s a special player. He’s proven at a young age that he can compete in the US and back in his homeland. Kiradech Aphibarnrat – did I say his name right? Before he got injured you saw his name popping up a lot. He’s proved he can play in the big events. He was showing how good a talent he is. Those three stand out in my mind right away. I think they’re all young enough to improve and become bigger names and contend a lot more in the big events.
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I’m very active in trying to help junior golf all across the world. The game of golf has given me so much, so why not give back and try to help other kids follow their dreams like I have.
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Are you a player that sets goals at the beginning of the year, and if so, what are your goals for 2015? There’s really two. Every year US has either a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup team. That’s the first one. If you make that team you’ve played good at some point. The other one is just to win. To hold a trophy is a special time and so every year I want to win at least one tournament. And obviously make a team – Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup. That’s what I have my eyes on every year. Those are always my two goals. Is attaining number one in the Official World Golf Ranking a goal of yours? You know I have never set that goal for myself. Because it is very tough to reach it, and the way the world ranking points work you never know. The way I look at it, look at Phil Mickelson. Phil Mickelson is one of our greatest champions of all time across the world and he’s never been number one. So sometimes that world ranking doesn’t mean as much as it should, you know. Do you care at all what people think of you?
How would you describe your relationship with the media? I think the media really loves me because I don’t give PC [politically correct] answers. Sometimes people write different stories and make it and twist it in ways they want to. But again, the way I live my life and the way I want to live my life as a Christian, I don’t read what people write about me. I don’t read what people say about me. My true friends, my family, they know who I am as a person and what my heart is all about. And then the fans; I think the fans just see me as a smalltown guy that’s worked hard to get where he is, and I appreciate that, and I think that they see it as a guy that’s just out there having fun with the game of golf. Just like anybody else, though, I’m going to get mad when I hit a bad shot and I think the fans see that, and I’m going to be happy when I hit a great shot.
Victory is sweet: Watson with the WGC-HSBC Champions trophy after victory in Shanghai at the end of last year AFP
Truthfully, no. Because the way I’m trying to live my life, read the Bible, follow the Bible; I can’t worry about – no matter what I do, no
matter if I win every single tournament, half the world is going to love me and half the world is going to hate me no matter what. You can’t impress everybody and you can’t make everybody happy. It’s hard enough trying to make my wife happy, so I don’t need to worry about other people being happy.
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