Bubba Watson puts rift with UGA behind him

On Wednesday morning, Bubba Watson was on the driving range at East Lake Golf Club standing beside his white golf bag that had just been emblazoned with a big letter “G.”

It wasn’t a generic brand, run-of-the-mill “G.” This was an honest-to-goodness “How-bout-them-Dawgs” variety of “G.”

To see it on Watson’s bag is rather remarkable since it was only a year ago that the letter would have been almost repugnant to the PGA Tour’s long-hitting star.

But the letter is now significant to Watson because he has graduated from Georgia, about seven years after he walked away. It also stands as a sign of reconciliation and another step in the maturation process that could help make Watson a better player and person.

“I try to give back to kids and tell them to go to school and get an education,” Watson said. “And I started thinking, I can’t really do that unless I’ve graduated. So going back and finishing college is a big honor and maybe it’ll help me help kids in the future.”

Watson played for Georgia in 2000 and was good enough to be named honorable mention All-American. But the rift between Watson and the “G” started in 2001 when he showed up for his senior year to find a team loaded with stars. He could see trouble brewing with so many good players and so few slots available in events.

“It wasn’t Bubba’s fault,” said Georgia coach Chris Haack. “We may have had our best team ever. We were ranked No. 1 all year.”

There were five All-Americans on the Georgia roster: Nick Cassini, Erik Compton, Bryant Odom, Ryan Hybl and David Miller. It hasn’t happened in college golf since. Watson left school in December 2001. The Bulldogs went on to win six tournaments, including the Southeastern Conference championship, and never finished lower than fourth, but wound up fifth at the NCAAs.

Watson turned professional in 2001 and by 2003 had earned his way onto the Nationwide Tour. By the end of his third full year he’d played well enough to graduate to the PGA Tour.

Watson tied for fourth in his first event of 2006. The fact he could smoke the ball into the stratosphere with a pink-shafted driver helped fuel a bit of Bubba-mania to a golf public starved for a new face. He finished 90th on the money list and easily kept his card. And the “G” was barely on his mind. Earlier that year he told a reporter that he “didn’t want to graduate from Georgia” and that he “didn’t like that school.”

In 2007 he improved to No. 55 and this year he is No. 56, but played enough in the FedEx Cup playoffs to claw his way into the top 30 and earn a place in The Tour Championship.

Despite his success with the golf club, Watson felt something was missing. While visiting with some friends during the AT&T Classic in Atlanta this spring, he wondered aloud how much would be required to finish his college degree. His buddies encouraged him to find out.

“I called Haacker and asked him what it would take for me to graduate, because it had been such a long time,” Watson said.

Haack, who had been searching for a way to mend fences with Watson, was eager to help. He learned that Watson only needed to pass the Regent’s Exam and called with the news.

“I was that close. I said, ‘Let’s do it,’” Watson said.

During that conversation the player and coach talked about the gulf that had separated them. Some thought the rift began at the 2000 NCAA championships. Georgia had missed the mid-tournament cut by a stroke. Some thought Haack blamed Watson after Watson took a backhand slap at the ball on his last hole and missed the tap-in. Haack said he was never angry at Watson. Others thought it was because of Watson’s playing time in 2001.

They decided to forget the past and move on.

“For my career, I don’t need to hold any grudges,” Watson said. “I told him, ‘I don’t want to know why you didn’t play me and I don’t care about the reason. I just want to get over it and I want to do something good. I want to graduate and help the kids.’ I said let’s be friends.”

Haack apologized for any grievance he may have committed against Watson, who said, “We kind of made up.” The two exchanged a hug when they next met.

Haack helped arrange a tutor and Watson began taking practice tests.

“The first one, I didn’t do so good,” he said. “It was hard. It was something I hadn’t done. I mean, I hit a little white ball and they’re wanting me to read this and know what it means?”

Watson took more and more practice tests, improving each time. Finally the day came to take the real thing. Watson said, “It was more nerve wracking than any golf shot I’ve ever had to hit.”

Watson passed the test. He was a college graduate. He put a Georgia Bulldog headcover on his driver the week of the PGA Championship. The addition of the “G” makes him a full-fledged Tour-Dog. It certainly caught the attention of former Bulldog Ryuji Imada, who smiled as he walked over to look at Watson’s new plumage.

The “G” covers the spot on his bag that used to read, “In loving memory of Billy Weir,” Watson’s longtime Ping representative and confidante. Watson said it was a tribute to a late friend.

“He always preached education and going to college, so when I graduated I put that on there,” Watson said. “It still honors him and what he stood for. Me and my family, we know what it means.”