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February 6, 2022

Bubba Watson

Royal Greens Golf and Country Club

Quick Quotes

BUBBA WATSON: Less wind. And then I knew it was going to be a battle. So I told myself if I could somehow shoot -- I made a double bogey on 11 -- 1-under the rest of the way, the last seven holes would get me probably a top five.

Then the wind kept going, and we played a few holes, and I was like maybe a 1-under would get me a top three or something like that. It was never trying to win. It was always just a high finish.

Then you make a birdie on a difficult hole 12 right after the double bogey, then you just hang on, right? I just hung on. I made a bogey. Then that stretch, 15, 16, and 17 are a very difficult stretch, and I played them 1-under.

Then knowing where I saw -- I don't know if he made a bogey or a double, whatever he made, I knew that if I could make an eagle, I could scare him, right? Not knowing what he was doing or they were doing behind me. So I made the eagle, and I looked up and saw I had a two-shot lead.

Then I thought I had a great chance, but obviously he pulled out a shot better than me to win. So it was a crazy back nine and a fun back nine.

Q. I remember during the Pro-Am party you saying I don't like playing in the wind, and what a round you produced over here.

BUBBA WATSON: Right. But what's crazy about it is this wind is steady. So like you know when the wind's going from left to right, it's going left to right. It's not like going and stopping. This is like a real breeze, right? This is moving. So it's consistent.

So you can know in your heart, in your mind that it's definitely going that way. So you can play -- it's a little bit different. Back in the States, sometimes we don't have a hard wind like this, so it plays a little different. A little gust here, not gust, a little gust. This is just constant.

So it makes it a little bit easier. Again, I played as good as I could play the last few days with this tough wind.

Q. What did you have for your second shot on the last?

BUBBA WATSON: We had 156 last hole? 156. And we had 124 -- I think it was 124. 152. I hit 56-degree. I didn't hit it hard. I tried to land on the front and skip it back, and I did.

Q. How long do you think the putt was?

BUBBA WATSON: I would have to say 15 feet, something like that.

Q. Bubba, just can you talk about your own -- even though you lost the tournament, you ran from here to meet Harold Varner. That's the kind of person you are. But just talk about Harold and what it means to him. You have been a serial winner, won so many times, but him.

BUBBA WATSON: It's a dear friend of mine. It's a guy I truly love. It's a guy that I want to help. He's new -- when I say new, we know Harold, but it took me -- it was five years until I won my first. So this is a guy that's just starting to play better and better each year. We see his name a little bit more. He's getting comfortable. He's won, I think, once overseas somewhere.

Q. Australia.

BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, so having a guy close in America, just hasn't done it, and then to do it here -- I mean, this is the best field in the world right now. This is the highest points in the world. So for him to do that, for me to pull out the shots that I pulled out under pressure and then for him to do it, yeah, this is what you want. This is what golf's all about.

I'm not mad at him for beating me. I'm happy for him. He's a dear friend of mine, and I applaud him. I love seeing that. I cheer for him.

Q. What would you take away from this event how well you played, especially in wind like this?

BUBBA WATSON: I haven't played in an individual event since August, the first playoff I think it was in New York. I played in the Sharp Shooter, whatever that is, and then I played in a parent-junior with my father-in-law. So I haven't played since August.

So this is good my rest and my mental state, it just shows that I can still play. Even though I'm getting older, I can still play with these boys. Still hitting some long drives every once in a while, so it's good to see.

Q. Will you golf in Riviera or straight back in?

BUBBA WATSON: I'm scheduled to play in Waste Management, Phoenix, then Riviera.