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WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPENFebruary 2, 2014Bubba WatsonSCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA Q. You took it right down to the wire. You hit so many putts that I thought were going in that broke just across the cup. BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, it was a challenging day.  I hit the ball pretty solid most part of the day coming out of the stretch, but again, it's the same thing, just waiting on every tee box and waiting on every shot. I have to get used to that. And that's what I'm taking from this. I've got to get better at that situation, because the PGA TOUR has those situations a lot. So I have to figure out how to get through those tough stretches there where we are waiting a lot. Q. I know you hit some irons that you thought were on the number like that approach into the ninth hole. You came up and get a really difficult up and down out of the bunker. BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, for sure. There were a couple of those this week, about one a day where I had a bogey or something where I flagged it. You know, really the key was the par‑5s. I hit it in the water on one and then I hit a 6‑iron on the other one and I made a par. I left shots out there. You know, like I said before, I just have to learn from this and learn how to somehow get my focus back when I'm waiting. Q. Nice part of the day was your honest, heartfelt congratulations to Kevin being a PGA TOUR winner. BUBBA WATSON: You know what? It sucks because he beat me at Peek'n Peak in a playoff as well. The Nationwide Tour back then. Web.Com Tour. He beat me in a playoff, Peek'n Peak up in NewYork. He's such a great player, you know, obviously just like his dad because they swing just alike.  You know, he's a great player. He's had chances to win. You know, I take my hat off to him. He beat me. Q. Final nine there, just take us through the last few holes. BUBBA WATSON: Well, let's just start on 15. Start on 13. 13, I hit a perfect tee shot, hit a 6‑iron on that par‑5, easy little shot. Just pushed it, shoved it. Had an impossible up and down. Made a par there. Then I hit it in the water on 15. Had a great up‑and‑down to save par. And then misclubbed on 16. We thought it was downwind but obviously it wasn't. Misclubbed there. Should have hit one more club. I could have made a par at least. Made a great putt on 17. 18, I just had to go down after, with a 64‑degree ‑‑I had 120, so I was trying to hit it hard out of that rough trying to go right at it, because I knew he wasn't going to miss that shot. I went after it, and I thought I hit a good putt but obviously I misread that too. I have to work on a couple things. All in all it was a good week, but I wish it was better. Q. What's it like being in a dual like that with a guy playing next to you like Kevin? BUBBA WATSON: Oh, it's good would. That's what we play sports for. We want to battle. We want to compete, and we want to compete on the highest level. That's what we were doing today, and then Kevin just ended up beating me. Q. (Question about the putt on 18.) BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, I thought it was dead straight. If not, it was going to fall just to the right. My chip, if you looked at my chip, my chip came up and went that way. You know, Ryan's putt, he was playing it to break to the right. I thought mine, if anything, was going to tell right and it went left and justmissed the hole. Q. When you made the putt on 17, do you think the tournament is mine? That's the one putt I needed? BUBBA WATSON: No, because Kevin was in there about four feet. You knew he wasn't going to miss it. I knew I had a chance to win on the last hole when I made that putt. If I miss it, I had a chance, but it was a very slim chance. Q. Is it hard to stay aggressive when everybody is chasing you on the back nine? BUBBA WATSON: No, it's easy to stay aggressive. When you make bad swings, then it's hard to be aggressive. You know, I misclubbed on 16. We thought it was downwind and it wasn't. Thought I was going to be pumped up and I'd easily get that club there and I didn't. Then on 18, I tried to go after it out of the rough. Obviously caught more of the ball than I was expecting. So I flew the green. Q. Did you get the sense from Friday on this was your tournament to win? BUBBA WATSON: No, I never have that sense. No, that's dumb if you think that. No, it's 72 holes. Anything can happen. So after two days, no, you can't‑‑ if you think you're going to win after two days, then you have issues. Q. You say you have to get used to the slow play. How does that affect you? You say you kind of lose focus a little bit. BUBBA WATSON: Well, I just lose focus. I have always done that. I think this is my ninth year on tour. I have always had a problem with slow play. I have to get used to it, and I have to get better. That's what I take from this tournament, how close I am. Still a long way to go to get better at situations like that. Q. Do you thrive on these crowds here? BUBBA WATSON: When you're in a battle like that, you don't really focus on the crowds, don't think about the crowds. It's fun, you know, but in a battle like that, you're never thinking about the crowds. You're just so focused on your shots, supposed to be focused on your shots. Q. You have been in this situation with Kevin before coming down to the final hole, haven't you? Was that a playoff? BUBBA WATSON: Yeah, back on our Nationwide Tour days, now Web.Com. He beat me at Peek'n Peak in a playoff. So, yeah, we battled before in a situation like this. Q. Were you battling your driver on the back nine? BUBBA WATSON: I always battle my driver. Every pro, every golfer in the world battles with his driver. Doesn't matter if it's back nine or front nine. Q. Are you disappointed thoroughly, or are you mad at yourself? BUBBA WATSON: Let's look at it from the prize money standpoint. If you're mad about that, then you've got issues. So when I look at this, I look at what it does for my family, look at what it does for my career, and look what it does to help me inspire me to get better so I can win the next one. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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