One of the many perks of winning a major championship is the opportunity to hit the media circuit in New York City. Soon after the winning putt drops, a representative from the PGA Tour asks the champion if they would be open to spending 1-2 days in Manhattan. Once the player agrees, a whirlwind of phone calls and emails begins to assemble a full schedule of events. When the storyline is as compelling as Bubba's and transcends golf, it becomes somewhat easier as the national media are eager to learn more about this special athlete.
What you don't see on TV is all the activity that surrounds the player with every step they take and door that opens in the "big city." In a city with so much activity, no matter where you go, people are eager to see who steps out of the limo that just pulled up. Every time the door opens, there's a crowd with camera waiting. Every studio you enter is full of people who want a picture or just to see the green jacket. I remember escorting Todd Hamilton around NYC after his British Open win. Very early in the day, we stepped out of the car at CNN where two men were waiting. They immediately recognized him from TV and asked to see the Claret Jug. He not only showed them, he handed it over! To two strangers. In New York City. And the Claret Jug lived to tell about it. The day is filled with many of these unexpected moments.
Bubba's day began with an unannounced visit to the set of Golf Channel's Morning Drive before jetting north to New York. While the hosts were clearly stunned, they quickly began digging into the key moments of the final round and all the emotion surrounding the victory.
Once he landed in Manhattan, Bubba found himself across from some of the biggest news and entertainment personalities in the world, including David Letterman and Piers Morgan. The interview with Morgan is especially entertaining as Bubba has a very friendly and comical exchange with the host, who seems to thrive on the banter. Bubba also had some fun with Letterman, describing his style of play as "awesome."
Bubba also met with Darren Rovell, the sports business reporter for CNBC to learn more about the long-hitting lefty and what his Masters victory might mean from a business perspective. The highlight here had to be Bubba wandering around the set on live television, having some fun with the news anchors at the desk!
Follow Bubba today as he completes his media tour by checking out the PGA Tour's Tour Report which features live updates. Here's the update of day two.
The big hitting lefty from Bagdad, Florida, Bubba Watson is now a Masters Champion. Bubba wearing a new FJ ICON pattern and SPIDR2 glove, shot under par in each of the first three rounds of the tournament to sit at six under par after the first three days of competition. For the final round Bubba was paired with fellow FJ Staffer Louis Oosthuizen. Louis was one stroke in front of Bubba as they stepped onto the first tee of the final day.
Oosthuizen (DryJoys Tour and SciFlex) struck first, on the downhill par five second hole Louis blistered a four iron from over 250 yards at the open-center of the green. The shot landed just short and took a hard break right towards the hole on the back of the green, the ball continued to roll and roll until hitting the flag and dropping into the cup for a double eagle. This was only the forth double eagle in Masters history and first double eagle on the 2nd hole. The albatross moved Louis to the top of the leaderboard - four strokes in front of Bubba Watson.
Bubba fought back with a birdie on the 5th hole to draw a shot closer to the leader Oosthuizen.
Watson kept the pressure on Oosthuizen converting a two putt birdie on the par five 13th hole. He then added birdies on 14, 15, and 16 to draw even with the former British Open Champion. Both players parred the final two holes, setting up a sudden death playoff.
Teeing off the eighteenth hole for the fifth time this week, both players hit drives straight up the narrow fairway. They then exchanged brilliant approach shots, setting up potential birdies. They both narrowly missed their birdie putts, halved pars, and headed to the steeply downhill tenth hole.
Bubba's tee shot missed the fairway well right of his intended target, landing behind the galleries lining the fairway. With Bubba seemingly in some trouble, Oosthuizen laid back with a fairway metal only to miss the green short on his approach. Now Bubba sized up his shot from the pine straw right of the fairway, it called for a 30+ yard hook from a dodgy lie with a short iron to hit the green. The lefty pulled the shot off perfectly giving him a birdie look for the win. With Oostuizen failing to get up and down, Bubba would need two putts for the win. Watson calmly lagged the putt to the hole and tapped in to claim the green jacket.
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Bubba Watson (FJ ICON #52005 and SPIDR2) won the Zurich Classic for his second tour victory of the year and third overall. Throughout the tournament, the long hitting Bubba either shared the lead or held the top position himself. Beginning his final round tied with Webb Simpson (FJ ICON #52013) at twelve under par, Watson played solid golf on the front nine but still fell three strokes behind. Watson continued to play steady golf on his way through the back nine and posted fifteen under par for the tourney, forcing a playoff with playing partner Simpson. Both Simpson and Bubba birdied the first playoff hole. Playing the par-5 18th for the third time of the day, Bubba birdied from three feet and claimed the Zurich Classic. Watson also moves to number 10 in the Official World Golf Rankings with the victory.
Bubba Watson (FJ Icon #52005 and FJ SPIDR2) shot a 5 under par 67 to win the Farmer's Insurance Open for his second career victory. Bubba started the day 1 stroke off the lead on a very crowded leaderboard. Known for his prodigious length, it was his deft putting stroke that helped clinch the victory late. Flying the green on the par 4 17th leaving him a treacherous downhill chip, Watson rolled his chip 10 feet by the hole. He sank the putt to keep the lead. On the par 5 18th, Bubba sank a 12 foot downhill slider for birdie that all but assured him the victory.
Bubba trusted his FJ SPIDR2 glove with Digital Tac Response leather to keep up with his immense swing speed and his superhuman ability to shape shots on his way to the win.
Nick Watney also made some noise earlier in the day closing with a 63 and back nine 28 to finish in tied for sixth.