WATCH: Bubba Watson shows off his swing as he makes his debut on the International Series
Bubba Watson is at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club in Indonesia to make his debut on the Asian Tour's International Series. The two-time Masters champion will play the Indonesia Masters there, the series' sixth stop in the 2024 season.
Watson has already scouted the course and a video of him practicing his swing has been posted by the International Series X (formerly Twitter) account.
His participation in the Indonesian Masters will be the ninth start of his Asian Tour career. In eight previous appearances, he has two runner-up finishes (2012 Thailand Golf Championship and 2024 PIF Saudi International) as his best results.
Commenting on his participation in the Indonesian Masters, Bubba Watson told the Asian Tour News Service:
"I am really excited about playing in Indonesia for the first time. I enjoy coming to Asia and soaking in the sights and sounds and also seeing the diverse mixture of players out here."
Bubba Watson leads a group of six LIV Golf players in the field for the Indonesian Masters. The others are Richard Bland, Danny Lee, Scott and Kieran Vincent, and Jinichiro Kozuma.
International Series leader and LIV Golf reserve player John Catlin will also play in Jakarta. If he wins the series at the end of the season, he will earn a contract in the Greg Norman-led league for next season.
Why does Bubba Watson need to play in the International Series?
Bubba Watson finished the 2024 season tied for 53rd in the LIV Golf individual rankings. This result placed him in the Drop Zone and he was dropped from the league.
His return for the 2025 season depends on winning one of the two spots currently available. One goes to the winner of the Asian Tour's International Series and the other to the winner of the Promotions Event to be played in December.
There are only four events left in the International Series, so Watson would need to win at least three of them to unseat current leader John Catlin. However, his participation can also serve as training for the Promotions Event.
Watson is already qualified for that event, as players who are relegated from LIV Golf are guaranteed a spot in the field. In fact, Watson and the other relegated players are exempt from the first round and will start playing on the second day. Unlike 2023, the promotional event will only award one contract for the next season (three were awarded in the previous edition).
At the end of the 2024 season, 48 players kept their contracts for 2025. If the roster remains the same (13 teams of four players each), the league will have to draft four players, leaving two spots open after filling one with the International Series winner and the other with the Promotions Event winner.
It has not yet been announced how these two slots will be filled. It has also not been announced if the Wild Cards will be maintained in 2025.