Bubba Watson explains his no-flinch decision to play in the Olympics
Bubba Watson didn’t hesitate on representing the United States in next month’s Olympic golf tournament in Brazil.
Appearing on “The Dan Patrick Show,” Watson told Patrick about his short decision-making process.
“As soon as they said I was on the team, it was a go,” Watson said.
He explained why the common reasons so many golfers cited in skipping out on the Olympic tournament didn’t apply to him.
“We’ve adopted both of our kids, so there wasn’t a scare from Zika,” said Watson, who will have friend Randall Wells caddie for him instead of regular looper Ted Scott. “And then, I’ve never had a security issue, so I’ve never been worried about security down there.”
Watson is taking a longer-term, broader view to Olympic golf, saying that the individual accomplishment of medaling in the 60-player tournament isn’t his main goal.
“A gold medal is not really what I’m looking at,” he said. “Just getting on the team and being part of this. The reason why we brought golf to the Olympics to try to get the world involved and grow the game. The gold medal — or any medal — is a bonus.”
The two-time Masters winner said he’s also got tickets to take in Olympics sports as a spectator.
“I’m going to be a fan of the Olympics, and I can’t wait,” he said.
Asked by Patrick about the sentiment shared by Rory McIlroy ahead of last week’s British Open, Watson, who played with McIlroy in the opening two rounds at Royal Troon, said McIlroy got caught up in the heat of the moment.
“He just didn’t communicate his words the right way,” Watson said. “He didn’t mean any harm. He knows that he’s helping to grow the game. He’s does a lot for the kids. He’s a great man.”
Watson added of McIlroy, “He understands what his role is in golf and he appreciates that role and he loves it.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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