NO LOVE FOR BUBBA

The field teed off at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, on Thursday morning. It teed off on defending champion Bubba Watson a while back.

An ESPN.com PGA Tour Secret Survey listed him first in an anonymous canvasing of tour players who were asked which golfer they would be least likely to help if he were in a fight. Watson got more than twice as many votes as the next most unpopular guy (Patrick Reed).

“I’ve had some mess-ups on tour, and I think I’ve improved in those areas and I’m trying to get better,” Watson said at a Tuesday news conference at Augusta National Golf Club. “That’s all I can do. I’m glad people that call me out when they do. That’s the only way I can get better. If I don’t know about it, then I can’t improve.”

Watson, 26, is a two-time Masters winner and he’s pursuing his third green jacket in four years. Maybe he’s a bit of a showoff, using a pink driver and hanging with Justin Bieber, but is that so bad? (We’ll excuse the pink driver, but not the Bieber thing). As a country kid from Bagdad, Florida, it took Watson a little time to accustom himself to the idea that he’s not only among his sport’s elite but that he belongs there.

When ESPN gave Watson that survey question, he answered it as most did – with his own name. His explanation: “I’ve never been in a fight in my life, so if I was in a fight, it was my fault. I caused somebody to get angry. So yeah, I wouldn’t help myself, either.”

Give the guy credit. He’s honest. He’s a married father of two adopted kids who talks glowingly of his family. He’s not the first golfer who got cranky on the course and he won’t be the last. As he says the right things, he may find himself inclined to do them as well.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .