Bubba Watson has been on the record multiple times saying that if he ever reached 10 career PGA Tour victories, he would retire.
After a resurgent 2018 that included wins at the Genesis Open, the WGC-Match Play and the Travelers Championship, Watson has reached 12 career Tour victories, but he’s still planning on playing a normal Tour schedule in 2019. However, another retirement seems imminent, at least according to Watson.
“I have been bugging Mr. Tiger Woods about being a vice-captain for Australia,” Watson told the Associated Press earlier this week. ”I would love the honor of doing that again. The reason why is I feel like I can service. For me personally, I have more enjoyment serving 12 guys than playing.”
Bubba Watson wants to be at Presidents Cup as a vice captain https://t.co/A0qD1MAx9o @Globe_Sports pic.twitter.com/oHjeysfTCT
— The Globe and Mail (@globeandmail) December 4, 2018
The reasoning behind the statement is pure Bubba.
“I always bug Tiger. He says, ‘You need to be playing.’ I said, ‘Look, man, we’ve never won a Ryder Cup with me playing, but we’ve won when I wasn’t playing. So me and you need to be captain and vice-captains.’
“That’s our joke. I’ve told him, ‘Listen, I’ll do anything to help you if you want me. If you don’t, that’s fine.’”
Despite his self-flagellation, Watson has been successful on both Presidents Cup teams he’s played on, going a combined 5-3-2 in the biennial matches.
The Ryder Cup, however, is a different story. Watson has been a playing member just twice and he’s played poorly, holding a 4-10 record. His third time at a Ryder Cup came in 2016 at Hazeltine where Davis Love III left Watson off the team as the 7th-ranked player in the world and No. 9 on the points list.
By all accounts, Watson excelled in his role as vice-captain and helped the Americans to their lone Ryder Cup victory this decade.
The Presidents Cup will take place at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in December of 2019, the site of the lone International Team victory in the competition since it began in 1994.
