Bubba’s blow-back: ‘I need to improve as a man’

As he prepares to defend his second Masters championship — he can become the only player besides Jack Nicklaus to win three in four years — Watson on Tuesday found himself rationalizing how an ESPN poll of 103 anonymous PGA Tour peers found him to be among the least popular players. And he did not object to their findings.

“I need to get better. And I think over my career, since my rookie season to now, I’ve gotten better,” he said. “But obviously, there’s more room for me to improve as a man. And so hopefully next year or the year after, it improves.

“It’s a challenge. It’s great. I’m glad that it came out, and it’s going to help me improve. So if it’s a bad thing, and people don’t like me, then I’ve got to improve and prove them wrong.”

And regarding the poll question about the fight in the parking lot? That Watson would be the least likely guy a fellow player would jump in help out? He said he voted for Watson, too.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t help myself out either,” he said, guessing he had it coming to him.

Watson has 1.3 million Twitter followers. His galleries are among the most passionate on the Tour, except at Augusta National, where they are Bulldog froth. It is an odd station in life when your business is booming and your co-workers stop talking when you enter the room.

“I’m not going to call out anybody,” he said. “There’s nobody I dislike on the Tour. I dislike them if they beat me, but I don’t dislike them as a person.”

He said fatherhood — he and his wife, Angie, have two small adopted children: Caleb and Dakota — has had a softening impact on his personality. He no is longer the renegade who quit the Georgia team. Watson is 36. He’s won $27 million.

Yet it remains a large part of his appeal that all this can’t actually be happening to him, the Florida Panhandle yokel with “a homemade swing that I’ve come up with,” generating seven career victories. He finished in the top 10 eight times last year and four times in five events this season. The subject came up again with caddie Ted Scott during Monday’s practice round.

“I just said, ‘Teddy, I can’t even believe it. I’m still trying to get over (winning in) 2012 and I haven’t even got to 2014 yet,” he said. “You ask yourself: Why? Or how? How does a guy from my background make it? How does a guy from my background actually win it? And do it again?”

Here’s one reason.

“Perfect game for this course,” Rory McIlroy said. “Been playing really well. Seems confident every time he tees it up. He’s been right up there his last few events. So if you’re looking at someone that will do well this week, I think Bubba is the main guy.”

He has been reaching out. Watson has been active in the national Drive, Pitch and Putt competition for juniors — “For me, it’s inspiring” — and was there to hand out the trophies after Sunday’s finals at Augusta National. He has made a point to visit his old elementary, middle and high school back in Bagdad, Fla., modeling his green jacket, just to remind the next generation to follow their aspirations: “If I can do it, anybody can do it.”

This could not be the way he wanted his week to start, conceding “I’ve had some mess-ups on the Tour,” insisting he’s working on it. His life reflects how he plays: “I’d love to hit it dead-straight. Just can’t do it. Not that good yet.”

Only eight players have won the Masters three times or more: Nicklaus (6), Arnold Palmer (4), Tiger Woods (4), Jimmy Demaret (3), Sam Snead (3), Gary Player (3), Nick Faldo (3) and Phil Mickelson (3). Only three players have successfully defended a championship here: Nicklaus (1965-66), Faldo (1989-90) and Woods (2001-02).

Watson can join both groups this weekend, which would comprise quite the turnaround from Tuesday’s 30-minute character self-analysis with the media. Asked about the flip side to the ESPN poll and how he remains one of the most watchable players, he considered the boomerang drive, the pink club head and how this all has come to pass.

“Because,” he said, “I’m nuts.”