PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 21, 2022

Bubba Watson

Southern Hills Country Club

Flash Quotes

JOHN DEVER: Good afternoon, welcome back to the 2022 PGA Championship here at Southern Hills Country Club. We are joined by Bubba Watson who carded a 3-over par 73 today, minus two for the championship.

Maybe not as easy as yesterday, maybe not the ending you wanted. But you're still in this fight tomorrow. That has to give you some solace?

BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, for sure. Obviously I don't know what they ended up finishing but you know, I'd love to be a bit closer to the lead whatever that is. You know, I missed some short putts coming down the stretch. Yesterday I made them all and today I missed them on the back nine.

And so gosh, I've had like four or five 3-putts for the week. So hopefully I clean that up and make some putts tomorrow.

Q. On the back nine, does fatigue play into missing those putts or is it just things went right yesterday and things went wrong today?

BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, they decided not to go in. Wish they would have went in. Maybe that's the problem, maybe I was wishing them instead of stroking them.

I can't answer that yeah, you know what I mean, yesterday was a great day, and today was not the best, but it's still acceptable because I'm still in the hunt.

Q. When you look at where you are in your career, when you are in contention in a major, does it enter in the back of your mind that, hey, I may not have many of these moments left?

BUBBA WATSON: No. Because all my victories and the two majors that I did win, I mean, I hit a shot out of the trees, you know what I'm saying, it was luck, let's be honest. I had a little skill in there but the ball bounced my way those weeks. So I don't take any of them for granted. Just making the cut, having a chance to play, having a place to play, I'm blessed every day.

Q. There's a bunch of guys at the top the leaderboard that have not won on the major before and have not won on the TOUR before. How much does your achievement at Augusta give you confidence to know that when it comes down to it tomorrow, do you have what it takes?

BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, I have confidence that I've done it before but these guys are so good. Like I said, though, one ball bounces your way, hits a tree, bounces into the fairway, you make a chip shot, you hole it from the bunker; it's really not about somebody's won more than you. It's just the breaks at the right time. And whoever wins tomorrow going to get a few more putts to go in than the next day. It's really not about how much experience or how little experience you have. The thing has to go your way, no matter if you're nervous or not. You can still hole a bunker shot no matter if you hit a bad swing with a wedge because you were nervous. Just comes down to making that lucky shot at the right moment.

JOHN DEVER: What number would you guess you have to put forward tomorrow to get back in it the last few holes and have a shot?

BUBBA WATSON: What's the forecast tomorrow? I think the forecast is --

JOHN DEVER: 70 degrees, sunny.

BUBBA WATSON: Little bit of wind -- before I teed off it was like 12 miles an hour tomorrow. I don't know, what's leading right now? 9-under? I'm at 2-ish or 3-ish? 2? Yeah, you know, you've got to shoot another 5-under, realistically, that should be the goal. If you do that, then it's again, it's how they play, right. If they go out and play great, I can't really catch anybody.

To shoot a 63, that be would the ultimate goal to really have a chance but still has to be some other people on my side. Kind of what I was talking about. You have to have other people on the other side to help me out. Just because I shoot 63 doesn't mean you're going to win. Just means you have a better chance of winning because the other guys can dominate as well, doesn't matter what I shoot.