On Sunday afternoon, just minutes before Bubba Watson would tap-in his par putt for his first major championship, the mentions on Twitter involving “Golden Tee” and “Bubba Watson” began pouring in.
If you saw the shot that led to Bubba’s eventual two-putt to victory than you understand why these two entities became a frequent point of conversation. Bubba, who launched his tee shot like he always does, had a shot out of the straw without a straight look at the hole. For most golfers, this is a no-brainer. Layup in the fairway and hope to get up and down. Not for ol’ Bubba, though.
This shot is one we only hope we could hit in Golden Tee, only Bubba’s left-handedness throws a wrinkle in matters. The path of the shot itself is as pretty much a full A-1, and this shot diagram courtesy of The Big Lead shows off the dramatic right turn (or in his case, a hook) the ball had to take.
You've tried this before in your games, but the perfect amount of cut is damn near impossible to pull off.
The other item that REALLY gives this shot a Golden Tee feel is the spin the ball takes once it hits the green. You’ve seen that before and controlling it in the game can be a bear. Bubba, however, was able to control it perfectly and hit a shot that belongs in the game.
His swing his unorthodox, his style is unmatched, and his shot-making ability rivals what we can do with a trackball. Congrats to Bubba on his Masters win, and we look forward to seeing what other GT shots he can mimic in the future.