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April 19, 2012
He Has Risen: Bubba Watson's Easter Miracle
It happened on beautiful Easter Sunday in Augusta, Georgia. A man named Bubba Watson became the third leftie in history to win the Masters. Bubba was wearing all white to support children with birth defects (the new father has become quite charitable since the birth of his son). The field was full of stars, Tiger Woods made his newly consistent collapse by the second day, Phil was in it for a while, until he decided to Triple Bogie a par 3. Even Freddy Couples took time way from his 24-year-old girlfriend to make a run at the jacket, even if for only a brief moment. After Louis Oosthausen made a double eagle (the second one in Masters history), the stage was set. It was a battle all day and lead changes were consistently happening during every hole. Then, Louis and Bubba entered a dramatic two-hole playoff. They tied the first hole and both botched their shots from the tee box to begin the second. Both men had beautiful shots to exit the woods and equally impressive chip shots to hit the green. Then it happened- Bubba forever cemented his legacy with the stroke of his putter. As he reached down to the cup to retrieve his ball, he broke down. It was the face of a man who had just achieved his life’s dream, and the world was there to witness it. It’s moments like this when we realize that sports aren’t just games- for many they transcend the field, the court or the course. They are a person’s life long devotion and effort to something finally paying off. Every ball hit on the range, every putt sunk on the practice green, every night spent dreaming of wearing that green jacket brought Bubba closer to that moment. He immediately hugged his mom, who worked two jobs when he was in high school just to help keep his family afloat. When asked what he said to her Bubba replied “ I said nothing, I couldn’t put it into words.” Later he was asked if the moment he put on the jacket felt exactly the way he had dreamed it. He simply smiled and replied, “I never got this far in my dreams.” Bubba Watson isn’t your conventional golfer. He doesn’t drive a Mercedes- Benz- he owns the “General Lee” car from Dukes of Hazard. He was in a rap video with fellow tour pros Ben Crane, Hunter Mahan, and Ricky Fowler called “ The Golf Boys,” wearing only overalls. He has never had a golf lesson and never watched tape of his swing for analysis. He simply goes out and plays to the best of his ability. I was listening to a former "Golf Great Talk" about Watson and he said if Bubba even tried to be come a conventional golfer at this point and actually began to analyze his swing, it would probably ruin his career. All conventionality aside, what we watched on Sunday was amazing. It’s moments like those that warm our hearts. Whether you have been a golf fan your entire life or this was your first time watching a major, it’s easy to understand the emotion that surrounds the Masters weekend in Augusta.
Addison is a senior studying marketing. You may contact him at almoreno@olemiss.edu.
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