Bubba Watson reveals what’s ‘weird’ about The Masters this year
· Yahoo Sports
This year, The Masters feels different.
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It’s the first iteration of the tournament where the leading narrative isn’t, “Will this be the year Rory McIlroy finally gets it done?” We’re in the first year of the post-McIlroy Career Grand Slam era, and it’s been a buildup that has reflected that.
For the first time in recent memory, there is no clear favorite. There is no man to beat. McIlroy is recovering from injury, and Scottie Scheffler has been out of sorts. So there are nearly 20 golfers who stand a great chance of claiming the Green Jacket this week.
You would think, therefore, that all of these contenders would be grinding all week to put themselves in the best possible position to win. But according to two-time winner Bubba Watson, that wasn’t the case on Monday.
Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty ImagesBubba Watson says it was weirdly quiet on Masters Monday
Watson took to the golf course on Monday to scout Augusta National in preparation for The Masters, but instead of fighting for space with his competitors, he found himself out there on a quiet day.
He said it was strange how few players were out there during a practice round. Watson was asked how his Monday on the course went, and he said, “It was beautiful. It was weird because I was expecting more people. I know it’s Monday, but I was expecting more people.
“When I say people, golfers. I didn’t really see many people, which was weird. I thought maybe I was on the wrong day or something. I didn’t know what was going on. I went out early just so I could work on the greens and work on chipping a little bit.
“Saturday was a little slower than we were used to, and then today was more tournament speed.”
Bubba Watson says first-time players will be ‘lucky’ to win The Masters
There are a number of first timers that will fancy themselves to win this week, from Chris Gotterup to Marco Penge. But there hasn’t been a first-time winner of the event since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979, and Watson doesn’t think that will change this year.
When asked what advice he’d give to a Masters rookie, he said, “Just enjoy it. If you get lucky, and I’m being honest, if you get lucky enough to win this place, more than likely it’s going to be later.
“It won’t be the first time. There’s very few that’s won it the first time. But talent can take over and anybody can win because they’re good enough to get here, they’re good enough to win. Just enjoy it.
“You want your first one to be, just enjoy it, take it all in, try to learn some things and get ready for the next time you come around here.”
It seems more likely than ever that we’ll get a first-time winner this year, but Watson seems to think that’s a tall order. If experience is key, then perhaps we shouldn’t count the LIV golfer out.