By Cathy Finkler
It’s always a good day when you can write about a Bubba!
Bubba Watson, the man who took home the top prize at the 2012 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga., joined Morning Joe on Wednesday to talk about his recent victory over Louis Oosthuizen in a sudden death playoff. He expressed disbelief, saying “if my career ended today, it would have been a pretty good career.”
During his discussion with Joe, Mika, Mike Barnicle and Luke Russert, the 33-year-old from Bagdad, Florida recalled the difficult shot he made after his golf ball became stuck in the rough. Watson said growing up on a golf course with a lot of trees and pine needles made the shot “not as tough as it seemed” as it was a shot he performed many times before. Watson hit a huge hook and landed the ball safely on the green, which allowed him to catch up to Oosthuizen.
Russert commented on Watson’s seemingly laid-back demeanor and asked him if there’s any truth behind the story that the food he’d like served at his Champions Dinner next year would be “Chipotle, In-and-Out Burger, Lexington Barbecue or the Waffle House.” Watson laughed and confirmed the rumor saying, “It’s what I want, not what anyone else wants.”
The conversation then took a serious turn when Watson talked about his late father, Gerry, who taught him how to play golf at six years old. Watson became tearful as he explained how he felt his father, who died 18 months ago, with him in spirit during the last leg of the tournament. Asked how his father would have reacted to his victory, Watson took a minute to gather himself and said, “The way he raised me, the way he raised me as a son – [as a] man. He probably could care less now about the golf. The man is more important to him than the Masters Championship. ” Watch the complete interview between Bubba Watson and the Morning Joe panel below.
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