Bubba Watson reveals unique reason behind his LIV Golf move, credits his ‘GM mentality’ after owning a franchise
LIV golfer Bubba Watson revealed a unique reason for joining the breakaway series. The American golfer joined the Saudi-backed circuit after enjoying an incredible career on the PGA Tour.
Recently, Watson appeared on an episode of LIV Golf's popular podcast "Fairway to Heaven," hosted by Jerry Fultz and Su Ann Heng. During the episode, the two-time Major winner was questioned about his game and how he managed to play his best golf.
In response, Watson admitted that he enjoys learning new things every day and also shared a rare reason for joining LIV Golf. He explained that he joined the series to do something he had never had the opportunity to do in his career, which was to focus more on his franchise, Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Moreover, he admitted that as a franchise owner, he now works with a "GM mentality" to make things better.
"I'm not very good at it but I'm getting there. I'm gaining on it. You're learning every day right, you're going through life trying to figure this out. And so I've had to take a step back and let Randall do it and then let Emily do it, let the people that I've hired do it. But it's been tough because I want to be involved that's the reason why I came to LIV," Watson said (via LIV Golf's YouTube at 23:40)
"I came to LIV to do something that I've never had the opportunity to do or dream about doing; just like in 2016, I got to be an Olympian, I never thought about being an Olympian until the day I was an Olympian. You didn't have that growing up. And now being a franchise owner I have this GM mentality how do you make it better," he added.
Notably, Bubba Watson is the co-owner of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, a minor-league baseball team. The team is owned by Watson along with Quint Studer and Rishy Studer.
Bubba Watson joined LIV Golf in its second season in 2023. He competed in 13 individual events last season and had some decent finishes, ultimately placing 36th in the season-ending standings.
In 2024, Watson has already played in 12 events but has struggled with his game. He currently sits at number 52 in the season standings, while his team, RangeGoats GC, is ranked ninth in the team standings.
When will Bubba Watson play in the next LIV Golf event?
Bubba Watson will next tee off at the LIV Golf Chicago event, scheduled to take place later this month. The event, which is the final individual tournament of the circuit, will begin on September 13 and conclude on September 15. Following the LIV Golf Chicago event, the Saudi circuit will move on to the season-ending Team Championship in Dallas.
Bubba Watson currently ranks 52nd in the LIV Golf standings, which is in the drop zone—where players are at risk of losing their LIV Golf contracts. However, as the captain of RangeGoats GC, Watson is secured from the drop zone process. Notably, only players in the top 24 in the LIV Golf standings at the end of the season secure their spots in the circuit for the next season.
However, in addition to the top 24, the team captains are also secured from the relegation process of LIV Golf. Jon Rahm is leading the LIV Golf standings followed by Joaquin Niemann and Tyrrell Hatton.