Masters winner Bubba Watson is golf's newest star. Here are 5 things to know about the inspirational PGA Tour talent.
Bubba Watson became a household name on April 8, when he received the coveted green jacket at the 2012 Masters Tournament, the first major championship he has won in his career, and only his fourth PGA Tour win.
Masters winner Bubba Watson took home a cool $1.44 million purse on Sunday after beating Louis Oosthuizen on the second hole of a sudden death playoff.
With his career now established, Masters winner Bubba Watson will be an interesting to follow in the coming years. But for now, take a few minutes and learn 5 things you need to know about golf's newest star:
1. He's got serious distance: "Happy Gilmore" was the fictional (and amazing) story of a man (Adam Sandler) who could pick up a golf club and drive a ball further than anyone had ever seen. Bubba Watson is the real-deal version of Gilmore, at least in that sense. He doesn't go around losing fights to game-show hosts and trying to win his grandmother's house back, but he does have a killer stroke, and is known for using a massive, pink driver. In fact he's the longest driver on the PGA Tour, and in 2007 he averaged 315.2 yards per drive, with a ball speed as high as 194 mph. His longest drive ever during PGA Tour play was a 416-yard drive at the 2010 Sony Open.
2. His wife has become a famous name as well: Angie Watson is Masters winner Bubba Watson's wife, and she has also burst onto the national scene since her husband's big win. Watson is one of the tallest PGA Tour wives out there, coming in at 6'4". She was diagnosed with an enlarged pituitary gland in 2009, which explains why she is such a towering figure. Married since 2004, Angie Watson was a professional Canadian basketball for years before sustaining an injury and deciding to hang up the b-ball shoes and become her husband's agent,according to the UK's Daily Mail. She's one of the PGA Tour's wives and girlfriends you should definitely keep an eye on as her and her husband's careers continue to blossom.
3. He has a new baby boy: As if winning the 2012 Masters wasn't enough happiness for Bubba Watson for the first few months of 2012, he and his wife Angie also adopted a one-month-old baby boy named Caleb after two years of planning and anticipation. "Everyone (Angie) & I are proud new parents of a 1 month old baby boy name Caleb," Watson wrote onTwitter on March 26, according to GolfChannel.com. "Been a parent for 2 days!"
4. He's got golf in his blood: Masters winner Bubba Watson has been playing golf since he was a youngster, much like other PGA greats like Tiger Woods. Golf has long been a major part of his life, and when he's not out on the links showing off his professional skills, he likes to play golf with his friends at home, according to the Daily Mail. It seems to be all he really knows. Born in Bagdad, Florida, he played on the Milton High School golf team with outher PGA Tour competitors Heath Slocum and Boo Weekley. He went on to a junior college All-American career at Alabama's Faulkner State Community College, then played two years for the University of Georgia team before beginning his professional career. Golf is his life, and on Sunday he earned the green jacket to prove it.
5. He spends his money wisely: Masters winner Bubba Watson has made a lot of money in his professional golfing career, but he says he is careful about how he spends it. A car enthusiast who owns the original "General Lee" from the "Dukes of Hazzard" TV show, he told Sports Illustrated he sold two Mercedes Benz vehicles and a Lamborghini in order to stick to American-made cars only: "I'm trying to help the American economy and Detroit," he told the magazine. "We now have Cadillac Escalades at both our homes." But beyond those indulgences, he also donates lots of money to charities that help the military and children, hoping to raise a million dollars for such organizations. He's big on the course, and big on the sidelines.