Early signs are encouraging: Bubba looks to be back

HONG KONG – The season’s still young, but the signs are encouraging.

Bubba may be back.

RangeGoats GC Captain Bubba Watson’s return to competitive form has been a frustratingly measured process since knee surgery in the summer of 2022 sidelined him for eight months. He’s shown infrequent flashes of the player who’s won two Masters. Last season, he finished 53rd in the season-long points race, which left him in the relegated Drop Zone and required his team to make a successful business case to retain him on the league’s active roster for 2025.

A determined Watson vowed to play better this year. So far, so good.

Under the lights in Riyadh in the season opener, he tied for 12th at 11 under, shooting three rounds in the 60s and suffering just one bogey all week. A week later in more challenging conditions in Adelaide, he shot par or better each day while tying for 21st.

But here’s the most important thing to note: Watson posted the best result of any RangeGoat in each of those first two tournaments. In his first 26 LIV Golf regular-season starts, Watson never produced the best solo finish on his team. Half of those starts, he was the third-best RangeGoat; eight other times, he was the worst finisher. Only once did he share for top team honors. That came last year in Hong Kong when he matched Peter Uihlein in a tie for 29th while their other two teammates finished lower on the leaderboard.

Now Watson’s back in Hong Kong and things are looking much brighter. Instead of avoiding the Drop Zone, his expectation is to finish in the Lock Zone this season.

“I should be a top 24 player when it all rolls out if I play to my ability – and better than that, in my head,” the 46-year-old Watson said. “But doing it is going to be the challenge. I’ve looked at some things, taken steps in the right direction – and hopefully I’m not last on my team at the end of the year.”

One of those steps targeted an improvement in putting. A year ago, he gave up nearly a half-stroke (-0.42) each round on the greens, and he ranked near the bottom in putting average. His tee-to-green game was in good shape – he ranked in or near the top half in driving and greens in regulation – but he was losing too many strokes to his putter.

He sought the counsel of Uihlein, one of LIV Golf’s top putters. Uihlein suggested a putting arc drill that did not even require striking a ball. Just a repetitive back-and-forth to create a consistent strike.

Meanwhile, Watson changed to PING’s mallet-style Tyne H putter with its twin-fork design that provides balance and stability and is considered one of the company’s most forgiving putters. Watson has dabbled with mallets before, but this one quickly gained his confidence.

“It’s making me hit the ball a little harder,” Watson said. “I’m known as a die putter, and I’d leave a lot of putts short.”

But during an offseason practice round with Uihlein, Watson never left a putt short.

“This is unbelievable,” Uihlein told his captain that day.

It seems to still be working. Watson is gaining nearly a full stroke (+0.78) on the putting surface through the first two tournaments this season and is ranked closer to the middle of the pack in putting average.

Meanwhile, the rest of his game remains solid. He’s tied for sixth in driving accuracy, tied for 18th in distance and tied for 13th in GIR. Just that slight improvement in putting has already paid off.

As noted, though, it’s still early. But the RangeGoats already have a podium result this season, tying for second in Riyadh. And they should be a team to watch this week at the Hong Kong Golf Club. Watson’s playing better, Uihlein’s always a threat, Matthew Wolff is due for a bounce-back week, and newcomer Ben Campbell is a past champion at Hong Kong Golf Club, having won the Hong Kong Open in 2023. He gives a team full of big hitters a chance on a short but challenging shot-maker’s course.

During the offseason, Watson received a personalized replica trophy from the RangeGoats’ only team victory to date, their 2023 LIV Golf Singapore win. He has it proudly displayed in his office, serving as a memory of his lone LIV Golf champagne celebration – at least thus far.

“Getting that trophy put a fire under me,” Watson said. “I want more of those, you know what I’m saying? We only have one. We didn’t get any last year. We were on the podium a little bit, but we need to be on the podium more. That will give us more chances to win.”

Bubba being Bubba again will definitely give the RangeGoats a better chance to succeed.

“It feels like in this league, you’re only as good as your captain,” Uihlein said. “The reality is that when Bubba plays better, I think the team plays better. So, yeah, I think we’ll just be a little bit more consistent this year.”

If the first two tournaments are any indication, the comeback performance appears on track.