“I love helping the young guys” - Bubba Watson commits to RangeGoats GC for LIV Golf 2024 despite previous doubts about his future
In August 2023, the future was not as clear for Bubba Watson as it seems to be now. His sporting form led him to declare that he would be willing to step aside for the good of his team, despite the fact that as captain, he has an assured spot on the circuit.
Bubba Watson now feels he is capable of continuing and has already confirmed his presence for the 2024 season. Evidently, he had the support of his teammates since they would define whether he would stay or not, according to Watson himself.
This is what Bubba Watson said in August, according to The Mirror:
"I told my team if they don’t think I am good enough to play, they can kick me out and we will put another good golfer in my place. I am going to play until they kick me out."
However, the experience of captaining RangeGoats GC goes far beyond the golf course. Bubba Watson enjoys being a positive influence on his teammates:
"I love helping the young guys. They are all trying to be better and also better at golf. I get to influence three golfers in life, they are all parents and young dads. I want to be there for them and if they have a problem, I want to be able to help them."
The team captained by Bubba Watson remained unalterable for the upcoming season. The RangeGoats took second place in the 2023 team standings.
Watson was the team's lowest individual finisher. RangeGoats star Talor Gooch won the season's individual title, while Harold Varner III finished seventh. Thomas Pieters finished 33rd and Watson ended 36th.
How was the 2023 season for Bubba Watson?
Bubba Watson's struggles in the 2023 season continued from the previous one. Watson was unable to make his playing debut in the initial season of LIV Golf due to a knee injury that required surgery.
In 2023, Watson played all 14 tournaments on the LIV Golf schedule. He was only able to accumulate 20 points and finished 36th. He was also able to finish only once in the top 10, which was also his best finish of the year (10th at LIV Golf Tulsa).
In addition, Watson could only finish once in the top 20 (12th at Adelaide). In fact, he could only score points in five of the 12 individual tournaments.
However, his poor individual results did not slow down the team. With Talor Gooch and Harold Varner III pulling the cart, the RangeGoats GC earned one first-place, three seconds, and two third-place finishes to finish the season as runner-up.
Talor Gooch clinched three wins during the 2023 season, while Harold Varner III took home one. Both also contributed a combined six top 10s.