Tag: Bubba Watson

Bubba Watson will make his first ever pro appearance in this Southeast Asian country

Although Watson has made eight previous appearances on the tour, this will be his first in Indonesia.

Bubba Watson’s season highlight on the course in 2024 came at Augusta National, where he appeared poised to make the cut during the second round before imploding. The two-time Masters was 2 over for the tournament when he made the turn on Friday, and that’s where it went downhill. There was a double bogey at 10. A quadruple bogey at 11. And then another double bogey at 12.

From 2 over to 10 over in a heartbeat. From a weekend tee time to a missed cut in a three-hole stretch.

And after being relegated off his own team in LIV Golf, Watson’s playing opportunities have been few and far between. However, the 12-time PGA Tour winner has been announced as a participant in the BNI Indonesian Masters next week, an event on the Asian Tour. The tournament is being held at Royale Jakarta Golf Club.

Although Watson has made eight previous appearances on the tour, this will be his first showing in the International Series, as well as his first in Indonesia.

2023 Masters Par 3 Contest
Bubba Watson celebrates his hole-in-one on the fourth hole during the Par 3 Contest at The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Network

“As everyone knows I have really enjoyed playing in tournaments overseas and so I am really excited about playing in Indonesia for the first time,” Watson said via a release from LIV Golf. “I enjoy coming to Asia and soaking in the sights and sounds and also seeing the diverse mixture of players out here.

“The BNI Indonesian Masters plays a big part in The International Series, which provides a pathway onto the LIV Golf League. I’m a big believer in LIV Golf, and I’m proud of the impact it has had on the game of golf worldwide.”

Watson won’t be the only LIV Golf member in the event, as Richard Bland of Cleeks GC and Danny Lee of Iron Heads GC will also be in the field, as well as John Catlin, who is fifth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series Rankings. Also, Arizona State product Wenyi Ding, who just turned professional, will also be on hand.

There are 17 left-handed golfers who have won on the PGA Tour

Let’s take a closer look at the lefties on the PGA Tour.

About 10 percent of the U.S. population is left-handed but there has only been 17 lefties to win on the PGA Tour.

One place they can find common ground is the official website of being left-handed, lefthandersday.com, where it appears the struggle is real:

“August 13th is a chance to tell your family and friends how proud you are of being left-handed, and also raise awareness of the everyday issues that lefties face as we live in a world designed for right-handers.”

August 13, 2024, marked the 33rd annual International Lefthanders Day. On that site, you can purchase things such as left-handed scissors. For left-handed golf clubs, you’re probably better off looking elsewhere.

Fifteen non-righties have combined to win 86 times on the PGA Tour, led by you-know-who, Phil Mickelson.

With Brian Harman’s win at Royal Liverpool in 2023, there have now been three lefties to win the Open Championship, joining Bob Charles (1963) and Phil Mickelson (2013).

Longest drivers on PGA Tour since 1980 include Dan Pohl, John Daly, Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy

This is the list of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour for each season since 1980, when the stat was first kept.

Who are the longest drivers on the PGA Tour?

They’ve been keeping stats on average driving distances since 1980.

In 2003, the mark of 321.4 yards was achieved by Hank Kuehne and was the standard-bearer for almost two decades. During the 2019-20 season, Bryson DeChambeau broke Kuehne’s 17-year-old mark. One year later, DeChambeau broke his own mark.

Go back to 1997, where John Daly was the first to surpass the average distance of 300 yards. In all, Daly led the Tour in driving distance 11 times.

Being a big hitter doesn’t always lead to victory. Only eight golfers on this list won a PGA Tour event in the same year they led in driving. In case you were wondering, neither Tiger Woods nor Phil Mickelson ever led the Tour in driving distance.

This is the list of the longest drivers starting in 1980 through the 2024 regular season at the Tour Championship.

After 100 rounds, what has LIV Golf really accomplished? Chaos and cash

LIV Golf marked its 100th round Friday since the controversial league stunned the industry 26 months ago.

LIV Golf marked its 100th round Friday since the controversial league stunned the industry 26 months ago.

The idea, hatched by Palm Beach Gardens’ Greg Norman, took off once Saudi Arabia, through its Public Investment Fund, agreed to throw billions of dollars at the project.

LIV touted this venture as one that would grow golf by taking the league’s unique, untraditional format globally. And while that can be questioned, what cannot be disputed is LIV has gotten the attention of the PGA Tour, and directly affected its finances and economics, and the money being directed toward golfers.

“We’ve changed the face of golf,” Bubba Watson said Wednesday, ahead of this weekend’s LIV event at Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. “So to be on that side of history is pretty special.”

Watson then compared this to when Jack Nicklaus was instrumental in the first big split in professional golf that led to the forming of the PGA Tour in 1968. Nicklaus, though, strongly disagrees that the two are even related.

Scheffler can thank LIV for record earnings

Either way, Watson is spot-on when he says, “Scottie Scheffler has made a lot of money this year because of the changes that we’ve started putting in place.”

LIV’s impact on the PGA Tour has been significant. Every move the tour has made in the past two years to infuse money into the game, including the creation of Signature Events, more events with $20-$25 million purses, and pouring money into the Player Impact Program, has been a reaction to LIV and its endless stream of Saudi money.

One way to reduce the number of players jumping to LIV is to compete financially. The tour did that by pumping millions into its purses and billions into the game with a $3 billion deal with Strategic Sports Group that includes an initial investment of $1.5 billion into the launch of a commercial venture, PGA Tour Enterprises.

Scheffler has made $28.1 million this year in prize money with two $20 million purses, St. Jude and BMW championships, remaining ahead of the Tour Championship that will distribute $100 million, $25 million to the winner.

By the end of the season, Scheffler could make five to seven times what the tour’s top earner made in 2020-21, the year before LIV debuted. That does not include his share of the $50 million that will be distributed through the Player Impact Program, which rewards players for brand exposure.

In 2021, Jon Rahm topped the PGA Tour money list with $7.7 million. Rahm is LIV’s most recent blockbuster signing, luring the Spaniard with a reported $350 million deal that could surpass $550 million after bonuses.

Joaquin Niemann of Chile walks with an umbrella on the sixth hole during day three of The 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon on July 20, 2024, in Troon, Scotland. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Joaquin Niemann LIV’s money leader in 2024

Joaquin Niemann is LIV’s prize money leader in 2024 with $14.2 million through 12 of the 13 individual events. LIV concludes its season with the team championship on Sept. 20-22 at Maridoe, north of Dallas.

The prize money, though, is not the biggest lure for the handful of marquee golfers who made the jump to LIV. What got their attention was the massive contracts, especially those reportedly for at least $100 million that went to Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith.

“Things need to evolve. Things need to change,” LIV’s Patrick Reed said Wednesday. “I feel like that’s what LIV is. They’ve stepped into a world that was all about tradition only and changed the face of golf for the better. And I feel like with LIV, we’re now allowed to touch a lot broader and better way of golf. Golf is boring, slow, long, and we’ve now brought in the fast and more entertaining part of life.”

While LIV certainly has impacted the sport where it matters most for the players, in their bank accounts, other areas have not been as consequential.

LIV’s format, which includes 13 four-man teams playing 54 holes with no cut, has not taken off as hoped. While LIV golfers praise the team aspect, which does add a piece of additional drama and “family” atmosphere, the league continues to struggle to attract viewers and has been hurt by the OWGR board denying LIV’s application to receive ranking points.

Despite that, money talks, and nobody can dismiss how much more of an impact LIV could have on the sport regardless of whether a deal is reached with the PGA Tour. Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said this week that the two sides will continue to operate separately next year, casting doubt that a deal is anywhere close.

“When people start to see the true value that we’re bringing, that intrinsic value is only going to exponentiate over the course of time, which is what I’m excited for,” DeChambeau said. “I’m waiting for that kind of domino effect, for it to start falling in that cool direction that we see here on our side at LIV, especially with the team aspect.”

Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and golf reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.

Bubba Watson’s daughter Dakota dominated the Masters Par 3 Contest with her putting

Future ANWA champion Dakota Watson?

Bubba Watson is one of the better golfers in the world and a former Masters champion, and it looks like excelling in Augusta runs in the family.

During Wednesday’s Par 3 tournament for professional golfers and their families, Watson’s daughter Dakota showed off her incredible putting skills with two very impressive nudges that landed right on target.

Bubba Watson had to be a proud father watching Dakota wowing the Masters crowd like that, as her second putt in particular elicited the type of roaring cheer usually reserved for the weekend.

MASTERS: Live updates | Thursday tee times | TV, streaming

Maybe Dakota Watson will be competing in professional golf one of these days and carry on the family legacy of winning in the majors.

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Bubba Watson’s daughter wowed the Par 3 tournament crowd with her stellar putting ability

Bubba Watson’s daughter wowed crowds at Wednesday’s Par 3 tournament.

Bubba Watson is one of the better golfers in the world and a former Masters champion, and it looks like excelling in Augusta runs in the family.

During Wednesday’s Par 3 tournament for professional golfers and their families, Watson’s daughter Dakota showed off her incredible putting skills with two very impressive nudges that landed right on target.

Bubba Watson had to be a proud father watching Dakota wowing the Masters crowd like that, as her second putt in particular elicited the type of roaring cheer usually reserved for the weekend.

Maybe Dakota Watson will be competing in professional golf one of these days and carry on the family legacy of winning in the majors.

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New exclusive Georgia golf club to be founded by Bubba Watson, Chris Kirk, Brendon Todd and more

The plan is for Georgia’s golf teams — both the men and the women — to be able to use the course.

Bubba Watson slipped into a couple of green jackets in Augusta as Masters champion and returns to Athens on occasion for Georgia football and basketball games.

So what brought the former Bulldog golfer back to the area last week?

He teased a new golf course on the horizon “The Rose,” on his social media accounts.

You might have been thinking, ‘What’s that all about?’

It’s a planned 200 to 300 invitation-only 18-hole golf club that will be built on 588 acres in Hull, less than 15 minutes from downtown Athens. It will be ready to open by late 2026. Unconnected to the course on the tract will be 147 homes.

More: After Brian Harman’s British Open win, which former UGA golfer could be next major champ?

https://www.instagram.com/bubbawatson/reel/C2OHvZZtCb9/?hl=en

It all sprung from an idea of Watson’s Georgia teammate, Nick Cassini, and his brother Dimitri who are developers on the project and have their own development company, Cassini Holdings.

It received approval from the Madison County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 8.

“It’s all centered around creating an amazing golf experience, an amazing golf course,” Nick Cassini told the Athens Banner-Herald. “It’s a collective group that has a ton of experience. Our founders are members of many, many clubs around the country so we’re sort of bringing some of the best aspects of all those clubs into this one.”

Watson, among those who left the PGA Tour for the lucrative Saudi-backed LIV Tour, joined UGA golf coach Chris Haack and Cassini last week along with Georgia golf alums Brendon Todd, David Denham and current assistant coach Mookie DeMoss to walk the site on what was a cold day.

Watson and Cassini were teammates in 2000-2001 who traveled together when they played on what’s now the Korn Ferry Tour.

“When I called Bubba up and told him about this, he immediately was excited about it,” said Nick Cassini who’s been friends with Watson since they were 12. “He saw it as a way to give back to the game, to the University of Georgia and with Athens and to really connect more with Athens and the school again. When we got approval, he wanted to come see the property.”

Watson, Todd and Athens resident and recent PGA Tour winner Chris Kirk are among those who will be founding members. They could have input into hole design, Haack said.

Haack said it could compare to high-end, private clubs Ohoopee in Cobbtown or Congaree near Ridgeland, S.C.

“Just something different for Athens,” he said.

A “well-renowned” golf architect will be hired as well as a clubhouse architect and announced in the coming weeks, Cassini said, “but we’ll have Tour guys eyeballs on the golf course as well which will be great and add something to it. Our goal is to create a world-class golf club.”

Matt Coutu, brother of former Georgia kicker Brandon Coutu, is a partner in the project and owns Woodland Assets which works with the Cassinis. He told the Madison County Board of Commissioners that the project on Howard Road underwent five revisions before approval.

It includes a private dining facility, swimming pool, locker room, spa and driving range. He told the board that cottages would start at about $550,000 and community lots from $800,000 to more than $1 million.

Haack said it took about 15 minutes to get from the UGA golf course to where the new course will be.

The plan is for Georgia’s golf teams — both the men and the women — to be able to use the course.

“They still have a huge interest in the program and think this will be a great place for our guys to play and practice,” Haack said. “Their anticipation on it is they’re going to keep it at really top notch, peak condition and make it a destination place that a lot of guys are going to want to come play. For us to have access to it, would be a huge feather in our cap.”

Even though the club will be for members and their guests, the plan is to host a Madison County Chamber of Commerce tournament, charity and amateur events. The Madison County High School golf team, which does not have a home course in the county, will be able to practice some there and host a match.

“We want to be inclusive and really integrated into the community,” Cassini said.

Cassini envisions fast greens and a track that would be around 7,400 yards from the back tees that will be ready for any level of golfer to enjoy.

“It will be a firm, fast golf course, a little bit more American links-style,” he said. “Natural topography. A lot of long views. It’s going to be something a little bit different than what’s in the area at this point. When I say area, not just the Athens area, but the Atlanta metro area.”

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LIV Golf offseason update: LIV Golf Draft, new team rumored for Jon Rahm and six open spots remain

Taking a look at what to expect next for LIV Golf’s offseason free agency period.

LIV Golf made arguably its biggest signing to date last week with world No. 3 and two-time major champion Jon Rahm and then held its first-ever promotions event.

So, now what?

Of the 12 established teams in the league, six spots remain available and four teams have openings. Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats GC finished runner-up at the 2023 LIV Golf Team Championship, and then the two-time Masters champion blew up his squad with two of the three trades that have been made so far this offseason.

With less than two months until the first event of the 2024 season at LIV Golf Mayakoba (Feb. 2-4), here’s a look at what’s still to come during LIV’s offseason period.

LIV Golf players had choice words for the TGL, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy at the season finale in Miami

“It’s a blatant fop to Tiger and Rory to keep them onside and earn them millions.”

Editor’s note: This story incorrectly named Ian Poulter for a quote that went unnamed in the original Telegraph story.

For a league that has struggled to stir up organic attention throughout its second season, LIV Golf has been letting its players try to make headlines this week at its season finale in Miami.

The LIV Golf Team Championship at Trump National Doral will be the final chapter of the Saudi Arabia-backed league’s sophomore campaign, and LIV players have been an open book — an eclipse-esc rarity—this week.

Phil Mickelson, who has just one top-10 finish in 13 LIV starts this year (remember, the fields only consist of 48 players), claimed that he “knows” more PGA Tour professionals will jump ship for the Greg Norman-led circuit.

“Do I think that? No, I know that’s going to happen,” Mickelson said Wednesday when asked whether he expects another movement of players. “When players look at LIV, they want to be a part of it. Everybody here is happy and enjoying what they’re doing and enjoying the team aspect of it. Enjoying each other and the camaraderie, and enjoying bringing golf globally and all that comes with playing this tour.

“So there’s a lot of players that see that and want to be a part of it. The question is how many spots are available? There’s a lot more players that want to come than have spots.”

Then, Bubba Watson claimed that there is incredible interest from outsiders to buy the RangeGoats GC, the LIV team he captains.

“Anywhere from 10 to 20 people have asked to buy the RangeGoats. There was three in Singapore, and then after Singapore the floodgates opened, there was even more,” he said. “There’s been talk this week. I met with people this week. Yeah, there’s quite a few.”

And now, other players have come out swinging at Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and the tech-infused league the two major championship winners are launching in January 2024, the TGL.

“Everyone – big businesses, celebrities, sports stars – suddenly want to get in with team sports,” Ian Poulter told The Telegraph. “Look at Wrexham [Football Club] with those Hollywood actors and other superstars at other teams, clubs and franchises.”

“It’s a blatant fop to Tiger and Rory to keep them onside and earn them millions of guess what, ‘guaranteed money,'” said an unnamed player.

“Suddenly” is quite the word choice to describe celebrities and sports stars’ interest in ownership and team sports. It’s been happening for years. Michael Jordan bought the Charlotte Hornets in 2010. Serena and Venus Williams bought a stake in the Miami Dolphins in 2009. Lebron James invested in Fenway Sports Group (Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC) in 2011.

Not exactly a new trend.

And for the record, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought Wrexham almost three years ago.

“Look at the news in F1 (with McIlroy joining the likes of Anthony Johsua and Trent Alexander Arnold investing in the Alpine team). It’s not just the potential profit margin, it’s being involved and the fun to be had. It’s a win, win. Everyone wants a bit and I think LIV has been a leader in this, yeah. Definitely in golf.”

Poulter and teammate Lee Westwood face off against Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz of Fireballs GC in the quarterfinals Friday.

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LIV Golf captain claims ’10 to 20 people’ are interested in buying his team

One word keeps popping up this week at the LIV Golf Team Championship: Interest.

DORAL, Fla. — One word keeps popping up this week at the LIV Golf Team Championship: Interest.

Ahead of the $50 million finale at Trump National Doral, players like Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson have hinted at what may be a busy offseason full of player movement, though it should be noted the same things were said last year and just a few players changed teams. On top of that, the highest-profile player that was signed was Thomas Pieters. Not exactly a needle mover.

The teasing of what may come continued Thursday, as a trio of captains dished on the current state of investment in LIV Golf, which owns 75 percent of each of the 12 franchise teams. The other 25 percent is owned by principal players, which would include captains such as Watson, Dustin Johnson and Joaquin Niemann.

“The evaluation, it’s not a small number,” said Watson, who most likely meant to say valuation. “But I think every team is going to be different. Some people want to know more. Some just people want to play golf. Just depends on which team you’re talking about and who it is. I want to know everything. I want to be part of it and move it forward and make the RangeGoats well-known.”

LIV Golf: Photos of 2023 Team Championship

Watson added that he has “had a few people” show interest in purchasing RangeGoats GC, who sit fourth and have a first-round bye for the Team Championship, and then clarified that “anywhere from 10 to 20 people have asked to buy the RangeGoats” and that he has “met with people this week.”

“There’s quite a bit of interest. Obviously like (Watson) said each team is going to differ. We have some interest,” added Johnson, whose defending champion 4Aces GC would undoubtedly be the most valuable franchise. “We’ll get more into that in the offseason once we are done after this week.”

“It is true there’s a lot of interest from individuals who want to buy into (the RangeGoats),” said Norman. It is the success of the product and the RangeGoats aren’t the only ones. There are other people interested in other teams as well too.”

“And remember,” he added, “our responsibility is to create as much value we can within each one of those franchises.”

Both Watson and Johnson discussed the challenge of taking on a new role and how they’re learning on the fly. For the two major winners, their careers have always been just about golf. Now they’re managing their teams and sponsors (though all 12 teams have general managers in some capacity).

“Right now, pretty focused on doing well on golf course,” said Torque GC’s Niemann, the league’s youngest captain by six years at 24 years old. “I think the better we do on the golf course, everything gets a little bit easier. But yeah, lucky to have a great team to support me in every aspect of how to run a business like Torque.”

While the team format still hasn’t fully caught on with golf fans, the players and LIV officials are all in (Brooks Koepka and Matthew Wolff aside). None of the 12 teams have been sold, but a few have inked partnership and sponsor deals over the last year. The timeframe for when franchises may be sold is up in the air, and the lagging framework agreement between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, LIV’s financial supporter, can’t be helping. Why would a company want to pony up money to own a team with an uncertain future?

The spin to the delay is teams have more time to find a proper fit for an owner, which the three captains agreed was more important than simply siding with the highest bidder.

“Yeah, like to have something that fits our team and something that fits our four players, what are our goals, and yeah, I mean, there’s all brands that we like to work with, something that is with our personality,” Niemann said before admitting, “there’s also a number, right.”

“All that’s out the window for the right number,” said a laughing Watson.

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