Bubba Watson has revealed that fear of criticism stopped him from joining LIV Golf sooner. The two-time Masters winner was unveiled as a LIV Golf player in late July. While injury prevented him from playing in the inaugural season, he took on a non-playing captaincy role with Niblicks GC.
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Watson has explained to Bunkered that putting pen to paper with the PGA Tour’s controversial rival was not an easy decision, though, with the potential reaction on social media weighing on his mind. He said: “In this day and age, it’s so easy to make up a fake name on social media and say what you want and there are no consequences. Nobody gets in trouble, and that’s really sad to see. For me, personally, that’s what I was dealing with when I was trying to sign the paper. I was so worried about what people were going to say to me and think about me. But I can honestly say that I’ve had nobody, face to face, say anything negative.”
“Truthfully, I loved everything about the idea of it but it’s a scary thing when you have to actually sign your name. It’s like buying a house. When you look at how much that new house is costing, it’s like, ‘I don’t know if I should put my whole name on that.’ There was nothing wrong with the product. There was nothing wrong with what they were giving us, what they were showing us and what they ultimately produced. It was just fear of the unknown, I guess.”
Watson, who has previously said he fears being banned from the Masters following his LIV Golf move, also admits uncertainty over the success of the start-up caused him further hesitation. He said: “I mean, let’s be honest, it’s a new business and every new business has a really good chance of failing. So, do you want to put yourself in that situation or do you want to take a leap and not so much change the face of golf as add something new?”
The decision seemed even greater for Watson considering his past struggles with his mental health. He said: “It was a scary thing for me, not least because I’ve got mental health issues that I’ve been pretty open about. I had a lot of conversations with my team and with my wife and, ultimately, we made the decision to go for it. “
Watson hasn’t played since May’s PGA Championship as he recovers from a torn meniscus in his knee. However, after joining LIV Golf he revealed he expects to be fit in time for the start of the 2023 season, which begins at Mexico’s El Camaleon Golf Club on 24…
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