Bubba Watson Has Already Done More in His Second Season on the PGA TOUR Than Many Do in Their Entire Careers

Bubba Watson has already done more in his second season on the PGA TOUR than many do in their entire careers. By Lauren Deason PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator Watson: "My dad worked at a construction site for 32 years to make sure that I could have everything." Earn a top-five finish in a major championship? Check. Watson tied for fifth in the 2007 U.S. Open in just his second career appearance in a major. Lead the PGA TOUR in driving distance? Check. Watson has crushed the ball this season, knocking his drives 315.3 yards on average. Play well enough to sit in the top-30 in FedExCup points just weeks before the inaugural PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup? Check. Watson is currently ranked No. 24, which would gain him entry into THE TOUR Championship if it were played today. Start own clothing line featuring affordable yet fashionable golf attire? Check. On June 10, Watson officially launched bubbagolf, a clothing line that offers over 30 pieces of clothing, including polos, windshirts, pants and shorts, which will all sell for less than $14.98. Steve & Barry's, a chain of over 200 stores nationwide that offers less expensive clothing, approached Watson with the idea and he excitedly agreed. The company has also notably worked with NBA star Stephon Marbury on his Starbury line, which features $14.98 basketball sneakers that Marbury himself sports on the court, as well as actress Sarah Jessica Parker on a line of chic yet cheap ladies apparel. "Anybody that has their name on a clothing line, it's a special thing and an honor to do, especially for me to do it at an affordable price point. That really blew me out of the water that they'd want to come to me, a guy who is practically a rookie on TOUR, so I said heck yeah. I'll do it in a heartbeat," said Watson, who attended the New York City release party for the Starbury shoes and, after trying them out on the basketball court, was impressed with Steve & Barry's quality. The 6-foot-3 big-hitter -- who claims he "likes my clothes to have the color pink in them on Sundays" and uses a pink-shafted driver -- clearly isn't afraid to show his softer side with his style choices. His clothing line, which Watson has been wearing since the start of the year, will feature lots of baby blues, pinks, lime greens and, he admits a tad begrudgingly, some more boring black clothes as well. "Some people like black shirts, but I'm not big on the black shirts," Watson said. "I chose which colors I liked, which designs I liked, which stripe patterns, how many buttons I wanted. Down to every last stitch, I played a part in everything. Picking the tags, everything." The chance to provide quality clothing for people who might not otherwise be able to afford golf apparel holds special meaning for Watson, as the Bagdad, Fla., native didn't have much money growing up. "My mom had a regular job to make more money and my dad worked at a construction site for 32 years to make sure that I could have everything, like newer clothes for golf tournaments so I didn't have to wear the same outfits every week and they paid for all of my equipment. "So they really helped me out. It would have saved them a lot of energy and money if there were more affordable clothes," said Watson, who hopes that now people from his hometown will be able to easily afford to play golf. His Florida hometown is a famous one, producing three PGA TOUR pros from Milton High School, including Watson, Heath Slocum and Boo Weekley. Slocum is a two-time TOUR winner and Weekley earned his first victory at the Verizon Heritage earlier this year, so Watson has some catching up to do. "I played a practice round with Heath this morning and we talk about it all the time, I said, 'I'm catching you, I'm gonna get me a win pretty soon.' And I think I can do it," said Watson, who, at 28, was about five years younger than the other two. Win or no win, his fans Bagdad, Fla., are proud of Watson just the same, especially for his performance in the U.S. Open in early June, where he sat one stroke back of eventual winner Angel Cabrera after 36 holes before falling to fifth. "I was just so happy that I came in second at the Shell Houston Open, the best finish of my career. Then, when I got home, everybody saw me there and they were all congratulating me on my fifth place at the U.S. Open. I didn't realize it was so big and then I started realizing just how great it was to do that in a major and make it into the Masters and U.S. Open for next year." As of this week, Watson isn't in the British Open but could play his way into the tournament by being the top finisher in the John Deere Classic not otherwise exempt for the British Open. That's a big priority for Watson as he tees it up at TPC Deere Run, as well as maintaining his position in the FedExCup standings. "Right now, I'm inside the top 30 and need to play a couple of good weeks coming down the stretch. I'd love to go to the TOUR Championship," Watson said. "I believe I have the game to do it, I just have to stay focused like I did in the U.S. Open and keep plugging along." .

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