Blubba Watson

The final round at the Masters at Augusta lived up to its reputation as one of the iconic events in the sporting calendar. It was a captivating evening of twists and turns and there were times when a clutch of players must have thought they had a chance of donning the famous green jacket.

In the end, Bubba Watson emerged victorious in a tense play off against South African Louis Oosthuizen, when he managed a par at the second play off hole (the 10th) and the former Open Winner could only make a bogey five.

Bubba who? Well if you didn't know anything about the winner, here are 10 facts to help you along

1 — He was born in Bagdad. Not the one in Iraq, but the slightly less well-known Bagdad, Florida. In the 2000 census, there were fewer than 1500 residents.
2 — He's never had a golf lesson. In an era where golfers are coached, coached and then coached again, Watson is entirely self-taught. As a boy his father showed him how to hold a club, and thereafter it was all Bubba, who has also reportedly never watched a replay of his swing.

3 - He owns one of TV's iconic cars. The American spent $110,000 on his 'dream car', but eschewed the big brands to buy the General Lee from television show The Dukes of Hazzard. Now, there were plenty of General Lees, but the one there was special; called "Lee 1," it's the one that jumped the police car in "The Dukes of Hazzard" TV series' opening credits. Destroyed in the jump, it was restored in a 16-month process.

4 — He didn't care for France. In 2011 Watson warmed up for the Open by playing the French Open. The plan was to broaden his horizons and see a little of the world, but after a miserable time at the tournament, where he was frustrated by fans flouting rules about cameras, he revealed he wasn't especially impressed by Paris' sights. "I miss my home. I don't know the names of all the things, the big tower, Eiffel Tower, an arch (Arc de Triomphe), whatever I rode around in a circle. And then what's that - it starts with an 'L' - Louvre, something like that. One of those."

5 — He did his best to build bridges with the French. "I would never want France to think I was bad-mouthing the place," Watson said apologetically. "I didn't know how to pronounce the names the right way. They say it was disrespectful. I'm sorry for that. I didn't mean to be disrespectful. But I play golf. I'm not a history major. I didn't understand that I was the big star of the week because I don't go over there [Europe] that much. There is a lot of learning I have to do and a lot of growing up I have to do. I have to choose my words carefully. I am sorry for the words I spoke."

6 — His 6'4" wife played basketball. Angie Watson and Bubba have been together since their time at the University of Georgia, and have now been married for seven years. She played professional basketball in Europe and in the women's NBA. Not only is she literally head and shoulders above other golfing WAGs, but having retired from basketball she's now her husband's agent.

7 — He's just adopted a son. A week before the tournament, the Watsons adopted one-month old Caleb after a four-year process. Watson's commitments at the Georgia tournament meant that he has not yet had to change a nappy.

8 — He's been part of an all-golf boy band. US golfers Watson, Ben Crane, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan set up a boy band ahead of the 2011 US Open to record a charity single. 'Oh oh oh' was a feast for the ears, and if you don't believe me, google it, listen and decide for yourself.

9 — He talks to Justin Bieber 'almost every day.' Bubba is living the fantasy of many teenage girls, hanging out with pop prince Justin Bieber. The singer said that he counted Watson amongst his closest friends. "I talk to him almost every day," Bieber said. "He's a good guy.I'm all right at golfing, I'm not the greatest. Bubba says I'm terrible!" What Bieber thinks of 'The Golf Boys' record is unclear.

10 — And his real name... Bubba has always been known as Bubba — but his real name is Gerry. The golfer claims his father gave him the name because he was "fat and ugly" as a child.


Oosthuizen was the first to make a major move when his approach to the par five second found the front of the green and then rolled on the heavily contoured surface and eventually ran all the way to the hole and with its last breath dropped into the hole for an albatross two, only the fourth in Masters history.

Left handed Phil Mickleson was going along in steady fashion but his charge was de-railed at the par 3 4th hole where an errant tee shot hit the grandstand and ricocheted into an unplayable lie and he did well to eventually make a triple bogey six. There was a British surge to keep the UK viewers glued to their sets Flamboyant Ian Poulter mounted a late charge but ultimately started too far adrift to really influence events and petered out with a double bogey at the last. Justin Rose must really be regretting dropping four shots in the last four holes of his 3rd round as finished four under for his round. Again he came with a run but had too many shots to make up.

It was Lee Westwood that had really carried British hopes. I think a lot of golf fans were willing him to shake the "never won a major" monkey off his back and again it was a case of so near, so far. There isn't a player in golf that is playing better from tee to green but Westwood simply can't get the ball in the hole with regularity and even less so under the pressure of a final round at a major. Whether that has now become a mental problem rather than a technical one I'm hardly qualified to say. However there was a revealing statistic that said before the final round he had already had 21 putts more than Phil Mickleson.

If Westwood could have converted some of the superb birdie chances he gave himself or even holed a couple of par saves to keep his momentum going at vital times then I think he could have won the Masters with a couple of shots to spare. Alas it wasn't to be. He looked visibly upset when he was interviewed afterwards as though the realisation had struck home and although he tried to be bullish about the future and his ability to hole putts I was left wondering if he was actually trying to convince himself and not the watching public.

Local favourite, Matt Kuchar, a graduate from Georgia Tech gave the home fans a stunning run at the title, especially when he eagled the 15th to get to -9. He gave a shot back at the tricky 16th and couldn't find a birdie over the last two holes to put pressure on the leaders.

It was Bubba who was locked at the top with Oosthuizen and when he went on a run of consecutive birdies from the 13th to the 16th hole he rocketed from -6 to -10 to join the South African who had been plying his trade quietly since the second hole miracle. In the end neither could land that knockout punch and we were heading for extra holes. Fortunately for UK viewers Monday was a bank holiday and so there wasn't a need to get to bed for work in the morning. Personally I couldn't get enough of this mano vs mano action.

In the end both found trouble on the second play-off hole the 10th on the course. Oosthuizen actually found a better lie but his approach ended up some twenty yards short of the green. Watson was amongst the trees, and although his swing was un-obstructed he needed to move the ball some thirty feet left to right in the air. He hit a career shot and the spin on the ball actually took it on towards the hole. Oosthuizen could only chip to fifteen feet and missed the downhill par putt and the tall American took the two putts he had in hand to win the title.

Bubba Watson in the famous green jacket

I have to say I feel for Westwood in particular. He has come so close so often in these majors and can't find a way to win, even an ugly win. I do think his short game and putting are his Achilles heel and although these have improved hugely in recent years they remain susceptible under pressure. I know he's worked with a few short game coaches but I do wonder why he hasn't sought advice from putting gurus like Stockton and Pelz or even used the famous sports psychologist Bob Rotella. It was Rotella who was part of Westwood's great pal Darren Clarke's team when he won the Open last year and as a simple outsider I wonder if there isn't anything he could do to boost the positivity Westwood has on the greens. A lot of the putts I watched last night, especially for par, seemed tentative and his body language almost seemed resigned to missing them.

Compare that to someone like Rose or Poulter who were charging up the leaderboard. They weren't scared off the treacherous greens and had to go for their putts to maintain their challenge and holed out with gusto. Above all others though was Oosthuizen. His putting in the final round was awesome and he looked like he would make everything and for a long time did, especially those crucial ten and twelve par putts he converted. I'm sure Westwood will get the major he deserves sooner rather than later. He is far too good not to.

However, Augusta belonged to a tearful Bubba Watson. A fantastic event, and a worthy winner. It sparked scenes of jubilation and the normally laid back American was in tears, not only immediately after his win, but in the interview and the presentation.

Bubba turns into Blubba as emotions get the better of him

I don't know what it is about Augusta and the Masters but year on year they find a way to deliver thrilling golf against a kaleidoscopic background and the final round in particular never ceases to enthral and captivate me as I follow every twist and turn at home. I applaud Bubba for his achievement and can't wait to see what the next chapter of Masters history brings.