Let it fly: Tiger Woods and Bubba Watson at Buick Invitational

This is my prediction for Bubba Watson:
His 4th place at the Sony Open will be his best finish of the year on the pga tour.
I just get this feeling that he will be one big flop.

Tiger will easily show Bubba who the real boss is.

By the way there are other more important tournaments going on this weekend.

Ernie Els versus Vijay Singh, and Els is due to equal the record number of consequetive cuts at 69 to equal Bernard Langer's record.

Sounds delicious, I will be looking out for him.

Bubba's caddie is a blue ox named babe-uh. Bubbanyan eats twelve dozen pancakes for breakfast every day, squeezes eggs out of chickens and eats them raw, then swallows the chickens. He clears entire mountainsides of trees with a single swipe of his wedge. And that's only the beginning.

I would love to see Bubba matched up with Tigger on Friday. I do believe Tigger would self destruct trying to keep up.

European tour cut streaks, that qualifies as big news these days? weaker fields, no-cut tournaments counted as made cuts and a record that's not even half of Tigers Woods streak, yawn. I'll be watching the Buick.

A 250 yard 6-iron? I'd have to call that shot bubbalicious.

Norman just couldn't wait to express hie disdain for Bubba Watson. At first, I wondered why he thought so little of Bubba, after all Bubba was a big hit on the Nationwide tour with his massive drives. And we all know how fond Norman is of long drives; just look at his spread sheets on driving averages. Somehow Norman doesn't think much of Bubba's 4th place finish at the Sony either; that it will be the high mark of his year. In fact, Norman thinks Bubba will be a BIG FLOP despite his 4th place finish. Then it dawned on me why a guy like Bubba Watson would be so distasteful to Norman. You see, Norman is the embodiment of the 21st century fawning British, feminist, metrosexual sycophant. On the other hand, Bubba is a big, raw-boned young American male who exudes masculinity. But the clinchers for Norman and his ilk are these two things:Bubba is Caucasion and-horror of horrors- he's from the Southern US. To the feminist brown-nosers these things are absolute anathema and reason to fervently wish failure on a promising, crowd-pleasing young pro.

John Z,
As usual your analysis leaves alot to be desired.

I haven't stated any preference for long driving. The stats that I listed were merely to show how Michelle Wie's driving is at such a standard that her driving ability would not stop her from playing on the pga tour.
So you are wrong there, I am not overly enamoured by long driving.

As regards Bubba's 4th place achievement, of course it is a great achievement. But the whole premise of this blog, and many other articles is to try to build Bubba into a rival for Tiger Woods this year. In my opinion, that is just ridiculous.

Someone even suggested that if Bubba and Tiger were paired together, that Tiger would be put off, and play terribly. I think the opposite would more likely happen.

About his Nationwide Tour success. Here are the facts:
* At 23 years old, at q-school Bubba finished 87th, and thus got his Nationwide Tour Card.
* At 24 years old, he had ZERO wins on the nationwide tour in 21 starts.
* At 25 years old, he had ZERO wins on the nationwide tour in 17 starts.
* At 26 years old, he had ZERO wins on the nationwide tour in 24 starts.

He finished 21st on the money list, which is just outside the top 20 who qualify for the pga tour. But Jason Gore had qualified already, so there was an extra place added.
Otherwise Bubba would have had to go to Q-school.

So For Bubba he has:
62 nationwide starts and ZERO wins.

There was another golfer, who hasn't won in 30 starts and had a whole blog dedicated to her for this.

So John Z, Bubba may be "a big, raw-boned young American male who exudes masculinity", but he has yet to achieve a win in 62 attempts, no make that 63 starts including the Sony Open.

Don't get me wrong, the guy is a very good player, but I think the people who are bashing No Wins Wie, should also bash the double number of No Wins Bubba.

Bubba is an improving player and he may challenge Tiger at some stage, but I don't think Tiger need worry at the Buick Invitational.

Bubba like is Wie a work in progress.
Although he has had 10 years worth of extra practice at the game of golf.

Bubba has:
62 nationwide starts and ZERO wins.
John Z describes him as "a big, raw-boned young American male who exudes masculinity".

Yet he told us many times before that you needed masculinity in order to have the correct mental attitude and desire that would make you win.

Is Bubba not using his exuding masculinity or what?

Norman, Admit it. You and others with similarly politically correct orientation just can't abide youhg white males excelling in anything. In your world everything wrong on this planet is the fault of white males. You can't even post on this thread about Tiger and Bubba without referring to your darling Michelle.

Norman, first you say that you look for Bubba to be a BIG FLOP. Then you say that Bubba is a very good player. Which is it? And for goodness sake, keep MW out of it!

I am not sold on Bubba either. There should be reason why he failed to win single nationwide tour tournaments and only managed to finish 21st in nationwide tour despite his huge length.
If charlie Hoffman finished ahead Bubba at nationwide tour, I will not jump on Bubba bandwagon because of 390 yard driver.

Jay, I'm not sold on Bubba either just yet. He's just one of many, many young golfers who might make it on the PGA tour. Notice I said MIGHT. AS far as his 4th place at the Sony goes, a majority of the guys on the tour won't get a finish as high as 4th this season!It's not much of a prediction for Norman to make that Bubba won't finish in the top three any time this season. He could predict that for about 100 golfers.He won't be a BIG FLOP, as Norman put it, until he misses a majority of cuts, loses his card, and fails to qualify again at Q school. This is only his SECOND PGA event. Let's not write him off as a BIG FLOP just yet.

John Z said:
Norman, Admit it. You and others with similarly politically correct orientation just can't abide youhg white males excelling in anything. In your world everything wrong on this planet is the fault of white males. You can't even post on this thread about Tiger and Bubba without referring to your darling Michelle.
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John Z,
That is absolutely ridiculous.
I support Ernie Els alot. Colin Montgomerie is my favourite player and someone I watch out for every time a tournament is played.

Also, Padraig Harrington is near the top of my list.
All these guys are very much white men if I am not mistaken.

If I were to pick my ideal four major winners for this year, they are all white men.

As regards Wie, I couldn't care less what her heritage is. I simply look on her as a young American girl, the exact same as Paula Creamer. When I look at people I don't look at the colour of their skin and I couldn't care less if they are black, white, green, yellow or orange. When you travel alot, you get to meet people of many different countries, and what I have learned is that people are the same everywhere you go.

Perhaps, when you look at people, you should try to look at the person and not what they look like.

All of my closest friends are white, and nearly all of my friends in total are white, and I am white, so I don't have any bias against white people.

My original point was, that Bubba is a good player, but not proven to the extent of talking him up, as a challenger for Tiger or the rest of the best.

Norman, read your own post. You said that you expect Bubba Watson to be a BIG FLOP. THAT was your original point. Tell me, Norman, why was that your first reaction? Of course, nobody is comparing him to any of the premier golfers. Tim never meant this blog to infer as much. But your knee jerk response was to knock Bubba after his first PGA event and his 4th place finish. Again, why? Norman, can't you write your name and address without some comment about "Bubbles?"

John Z,
When I stated that I thought Bubba would be a big flop, I meant in realtive terms, because people are already thinking of him like Tiger.

He drives the ball much further than anyone else, but that doesn't mean that he will be winning titles like people seem to think he will.

When I brought Wie's name into it, it was simply, because the same Wie-bashers who came up with the term no Win Wie, were praising no win Bubba to the extreme.

Bubba is a work in progress, and in my opinion, he won't win this season.

I think that will disappoint many on the Bubba-bandwagon. I would think he doesn't need to win yet, he just needs to improve, but you guys are harsher in your judgements.

Poor Bubba, when the bashers start to turn on him.

Norman, I surrender. You absolutely CAN NOT post without mentioning Bubbles. You've proved as much. Three tomes in your last post. I don't know of a single person who expects Bubba to win this year. It wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't win on the PGA tour within five years,if then. As you certainly should know, literally hundreds of PGA touring pros have made a good living and had a satisfying career without EVER winning a PGA tour event. It was interesting to me that you mentioned as your favorites Ernie, Monty and Padraig, but not one of those swaggering, overbearing, macho Americans from Dixie made the grade.

John Z,
I am not from America. The European Tour is what I have grown up watching. Why would you expect Americans to be my heros?
Of course my peers are more likely to be my heros.
I have met very few of the pga players, whereas I know quite a few regulars on the European Tour.

If you want a name of someone I like from America, there would be Phil Mickelson, Fred Funk, Sean O'Hair, Jason Gore and many more.

Norman, you really know how to call them. You predict Bubba Watson to be a BIG FLOP. So what does he do? In his first PGA event he not only makes the cut, he finishes 4th. But you are not impressed. You still maintain he will be a BIG FLOP, and then you go out on a limb. You further state that not only will Bubba not win this year, he won't finish in the TOP THREE. How bold of you! Let's see how Bubba's doing. Two PGA starts, two cuts made. That's some BIG FLOP. Go Bubba! Break Norman's heart! I'm waiting for you to say that making cuts doesn't mean much.

John Z,
I really feel sorry for you.
Whenever you lose one argument, you start to pick at one sentance someone says and go off on a tangent somewhere else.

As I previously explained, I predicted Bubba would be a big flop in relation to expectations. The way many people are talking, they think Bubba will be challenging Tiger for the Money List. I am simply stating that he has got a long way to go to do that.

By my expectations, 2 cuts from 2 is great, but somehow I don't think that will be enough for the Bubba gang.

John Z, I have to agree with Norman on this. Who are you to dictate who he likes and dislikes?

How many of your favorite golfers are from, say Australia? If none, does that make you anti-Aussie?

Besides, how many macho, overbearing golfers ARE from the South? I don't think Davis Love III fits that category.

Norman, you never said that Bubba would be anything but a BIG FLOP. Go back and read your initial post. There is no such thing as sort of big flop in the real world. Norman, just what argument did I lose, and to whom? Bill, if you don't understand irony and sarcasm, I'd ask you to learn something of them. And if you ain't got a dog in this fight, stay out of it.:-)

Yes Bill, John Z does indeed come up with some very strange ideas.

John Z here are the arguments you lost in this thread:
* first you started claiming that I was in awe of long driving, which I put you straight on.
* then you started saying that I didn't think his 4th place finish was any good, but I said it is good, but this player is still over-rated.
* next you claimed that I wasn't in favour of Bubba, because he is a man and is white. Then I showed you how most of the golfers I support are in fact men and white. Then you tried to turn that onto being anti American, which once again was shown to be wrong.
* as regards the big flop quote you keep coming up with, if you cannot understand the theory of relativity that is your problem. For example, Paula Creamer could do very nicely on the lpga over the next few years and have many high, and I would consider that a success, but if she doesn't win that much, then she will be considered a big flop, because expectations of her are higher than that.

On the LPGA I see only two golfers who are likely to be held up to high standards and considered to be big flops if they do not succeed. Mostly Michelle Wie, but also, to some extent Morgan Pressel. Paula Creamer never got as much publicity before turning pro and so is fairly safe in this regard.

Jim C and Norman, In case you guys have forgotten, this blog concerns Tiger and Bubba, not Morgan, Paula or Bubbles. Norman, the theory of relativity doesn't have one damned thing to do with golf. And because my opinion of Bubba is different than yours doesn't mean I lost or you won any argument. Incidentally, Bubba shot a 69 yesterday and has bettered his score each day at the Buick. Go Bubba!

John Z, nobody is questioning that Bubba is a good player. That is where you are failing to understand what is being said.

There is a difference reaching a good level and reaching an expected level. People are just expecting too much from Bubba, that is all.

After round 3, he held 17th position and that is indeed very good, but maybe not good enough for the weight of expecation put upon him.

Incidently here are performances over the par 5 holes:
Round 1: Bubba -2. Tiger -4.
Round 2: Bubba -2. Tiger -4.
Round 3: Bubba E. Tiger -3.

I thought Bubba would have done a bit better over the par 5s.

Norman, no matter how much you equivocate, the fact remains that you still expect Bubba to be a BIG FLOP. I understand full well what is meant by that assessment. Somebody IS saying that Bubba is not a good golfer and that somebody is named Norman. On this side of the pond it isn't possible for somebody to be a BIG FLOP and still be good at his profession. Surely you can see the incongruity in your views.

John Z,
I have exhausted my explantations of what I meant in my comments. I have explained very clearly.
If you are incapable of understanding that, then that is your problem.

Who exactly said that Bubba was not a good golfer?
For anyone to qualify for the pga tour they need to be more than just a good golfer.

By the way, maybe you shouldn't encourage Bubba.

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John Z said:
Incidentally, Bubba shot a 69 yesterday and has bettered his score each day at the Buick. Go Bubba!
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Since then, he hit 3 bogeys, and moved from 17th to 43rd place.

stop arguing norman and jay z. i agree with jay z because bubba is well good to watch and is different to the normal boring pro cose he's exciting and hits the ball miles.Norman should shut up as he is a puff lover.You puff
p.s.Norman is a puff