The PGA Championship brought back a tradition started in 1952, the long drive competition. Coincidentally, the inaugural long drive contest in ’52 was held at Big Spring Country Club in Louisville, the city this year’s PGA returned to.
The long drive competition had been absent since 1984. This year they decided to measure the drives on the 10th hole as the players filed through in their practice rounds. Highlights of the contest showed tour players having quite a bit of fun with it. Bubba Watson wasn’t amused.
In protest, Bubba hurriedly hit a 3 iron. That’s right, the man who a week ago hit a 424 yard drive, refused to participate. At his press conference, Bubba explained:
“I’m here to win a championship. I’m not here to goof around. I’m there to play golf, not to hit it far. I’ve got to practice. I’ve never been to the course. I don’t need to worry about a long drive on the 10th hole.”
The man with the pink driver, hovercraft golf cart, and the golf boy band isn’t there to goof around. He continued to call the contest “hokey” and that he hit 3 iron to “prove a point”.
“I don’t think we should have a competition like that while we are trying to learn the golf course.”
When asked if he would be hitting 3 iron on the long 10th hole during competitive rounds, Bubba said no, he would be using his driver on the hole. That sounds counterproductive and a bit hypocritical. It must be a fine line with Bubba because he regularly plays the par 3 contest and skips balls across the water at the Masters.
The long drive competition awarded more than just bragging rights, the top 3 won money for charity. Tantrums seem so much worse when they’re thrown at charitable events, don’t they?
Watson disrespected tradition, the PGA, and the fans who came out expecting to see the longest hitter on tour display his skill.
Bubba continually makes it difficult to find reasons to root for him with publicly berating your caddie at the top of my list of reasons. Maybe his lack of course education will have him packing his pink driver and going home Friday afternoon. Then he could enjoy the rest of his weekend without being bothered by tradition and charity.
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