Why Bubba Watson Can Win The Masters (Again)

As we are a little over three weeks away from that drive down Magnolia Lane it’s time to start thinking about who will be the host at next year’s champions dinner. There’s no better place to start then with the guy who slipped it on the Green Jacket last year. Bubba Watson was the last man standing at Augusta for the second time in three years, and there’s no reason why he won’t be in the mix again this year.

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The course has been “Tiger Proofed” over the years and is now the definition of a bomber’s paradise. Any of the game’s longest players will have a shot to win just because the course is set up to be over powered. Also there is no other course where approach shots need to be placed in the perfect position, and it’s much easier to be accurate with an 8-iron instead of a 4-iron. Bubba is notoriously one of the longest players in the game. Since 2005 he has never finished outside the top five in driving distance, and is currently second this year.

Not only is Augusta a bomber’s paradise but it also has become a place for lefties to thrive. Since Mike Weir’s breakthrough in 2003 half of The Masters winners have been left handers. The course just sets up well for them, and the twelfth hole is is an example of what may be the biggest advantage. One or the world’s shortest and most daunting par threes tends to dash players hopes, and for a right hander it can be even more common. To find out why just take a look at the hole, and the positioning of Rae’s Creek. For a right hander if they come out of their swing and push it short right, the ball will most certainly land in the water. For a left hander there’s a good chance that same mistake will end up safely on land.

Bubba is also one of the most imaginative players on the course. We all remember is ninety degree curved wedge shot from the pine straw on the tenth hole in 20012, to win his first Green Jacket. That’s just another day at the office for Watson, who plays golf with the type of creativity and reckless abandonment that excites us all. At Augusta you need to have that kind of confidence, imagination, and skill to hit the necessary shots to win, and he can do it. The term “Bubba Golf” is as common in a golf dictionary as birdie and eagle.

Let’s not overlook that other than Bubba’s two Masters victories he hasn’t found much success in majors. Other than a playoff loss at the 2011 PGA Championship and a fifth place finish at the 2007 U.S. Open, Bubba hasn’t registered a top ten finish. Even last year it was all feast or famine for Watson. After winning at Augusta he missed the cut at both the U.S. and British Opens and then was a non-factor at the PGA, ending the week in a tie for 64^th.

This season Watson is off to a great start, he tied for tenth in Hawaii at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, and then picked up two more top five finishes in his next three tournaments. He’s been a staple of consistency in 2015 and with his ability to bomb it off the tee combined his winning pedigree around those Georgia Pines put him ahead of the back. I wouldn’t be surprised if at the end of the week Bubba is making room in his third Green Jacket.

Stats provided by PGATour.com

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