Bubba Watson has a homecoming advantage heading into this week’s “A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier” PGA shootout at The Old White TPC par 70 layout in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
The popular left-hander not only has three wins on the TOUR this year heading into Thursday’s first round and stands third in the year-to-date FedExCup season points, trailing only Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas, Watson has a home on the Greenbrier property.
Should make for a good night’s rest.
Watson talked about his chances and expectations Tuesday as he prepared for the eighth edition of what has become one of the most popular stops on the TOUR.
“My expectation is always trying to win,” Watson noted. “I feel good and had a week off. Haven’t really played any golf, so I snuck out and hit some tee shots on The Old White the last few days. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Watson hopes for a repeat of the Travelers two weeks ago, where he roared from behind in the final round to post his third win this year.
“Hopefully, make some putts like I did at Travelers, and that’s the key to anybody’s game. We can all hit the ball, so it’s just making some putts at the right time to keep the momentum going.”
“It’s been good. It was slow start to the year, missed a couple cuts. But, I knew I was headed into the right direction. Getting wins, a couple trophies is always a pleasure. You want to keep going. The goal is always to get the next trophy. So trying to move forward and looking forward to what’s ahead, and hopefully get to the Ryder Cup and play well there.”
Watson is making his fifth appearance at the Greenbrier where he has made four cuts, with his best finish a tie for 13th in 2015. He says playing at the Greenbrier means a lot to golf and the state of West Virginia.
“When you think about the history of the game, coming here, playing here, the big names that have been here, won here, it’s huge for golf. It’s huge for West Virginia. I mean, you’re talking about a state that is beautiful. So having the resort right here, The Greenbrier is a beautiful place. Everybody that comes here loves it. The golf course is getting nicer as well.”
“I was looking for a second home to just have a vacation home,” Watson noted of building his home at the Greenbrier. “I was looking in Montana, Colorado, all these different places, kind of northern. When I finally came here, seeing the beauty, having a PGA event right in your backyard and seeing all the different things you can do here, basically it’s Colorado and Montana wrapped into one right here.”
Watson also may have given some hints on the rumors circulating about the Greenbrier tournament, a longtime tradition on the Fourth of July, moving to the fall.
“i don’t like to voice my opinion very much, but I’m going to this time. I’ve always thought the fall would be great. The Greenbrier is a business and with the Fourth of July history here, the hotel’s going to do well this week, right? Then as the fall, the beauty of the fall shows up here, now you’re talking about another week that the hotel’s going to do well again because we’re going to fill it up from the tournament perspective. I’ve always thought that was a good location (time). Now, the TOUR and Governor Jim (Justice) think it’s a good time, that’s a different story. Why would you not want to fill your hotel twice?”
Will the tournament bring extra pressure to it’s ultra-popular resident?
“You try to block it all out and try to just play golf,” Watson pointed out. “We’re always putting pressure on our own selves. So yeah, it would be a huge accomplishment to win here in front of my home crowd. What a dream it would be. My Dad was in the military, so with the name of the tournament, it’s just one of those things that would mean a lot to my family, just to honor my late Dad. That would be cool.”
Watson and the rest of the field begin play Thursday for the $7.3 million purse. Live coverage will be on the Golf Channel Thursday-Friday from 3:30 to 6:30 and Saturday-Sunday 1:00-2;45, with CBS taking over from 3:00-6:00 on Saturday and Sunday.
Bill Turner