Two-Time Masters Champion Bubba Watson Is Joining LIV Golf – Sports Illustrated

Bubba Watson, the Masters champion in 2012 and 2014, will be announced during the Bedminster event as the newest member of LIV Golf.
Orlando Ramirez/USA Today
BEDMINSTER, N.J. – LIV Golf has snagged another Masters champion who will join the circuit in coming weeks.
Bubba Watson, who won the Masters in 2012 and 2014 , will be announced officially sometime this weekend during the third LIV Golf Invitational Series event, being played at Trump Bedminster, SI.com confirmed. The Telegraph and Golf Digest earlier cited sources in reporting his move to what in 2023 will become the LIV Golf League.
Watson, ranked 86th in the world, has not played since May following his withdrawal from the Charles Schwab Challenge due to a torn meniscus. He has missed the last two major championships.
The winner of 12 PGA Tour events, Watson joins Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel and Dustin Johnson as past Masters winners who have joined LIV. Winners of nine of the last 19 Masters will now be playing for LIV Golf.
Watson, 43, will be one of the team captains when LIV Golf resumes in September at its next event outside of Boston. He is not expected to play due to his injury.
He is also expected to be one of the team captains in 2023, when LIV expands to 14 tournaments and locks in its 12 four-man teams, which is a big mission in LIV’s plans. The idea is to at some point sell those franchises, allowing captains to pick their own players while also dropping them or trading them.
Earlier this year, Watson finished second by a shot to Harold Varner III at the Saudi International tournament on the Asian Tour, which is run by Golf Saudi and funded by the Public Investment Fund, which is the source behind LIV Golf
Watson was asked prior to going why he was interested in playing despite the controversy surrounding Saudi and its human rights issues.
“They’re trying to change,’’ he said. “They started with women's golf, started supporting the women's golf (through a series of events on the Ladies European Tour) and then they started supporting men's golf. There's women's tournaments already that they sponsor. Trying to grow the game. They're trying to change industry over there, bring golf, bring tourism to Saudi Arabia with the beautiful beaches that they already have.’’
At the time, it was unclear if the PGA Tour was going to grant conflicting events releases to play in the Saudi event. It eventually did so, but has prohibited PGA Tour players from competing in LIV events by not approving releases. Those who have retained membership have been suspended indefinitely.
“It will be interesting to go over there and play, but also see the beauty of other parts of the world that God's created,’’ Watson said. “I can't wait to get over there. Hopefully the Tour lets us go. Again, the charity dollars is what's most important, so the more money I can get in my hands, the more I can give away. So it's an honor and a privilege if they let me go over there and play.’’
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Bob Harig is a golf writer for Morning Read/SI.com and the author of the book “Tiger and Phil: Golf’s Most Fascinating Rivalry,’’ which was published in April 2022 and can be ordered here.

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