LIV Golf player Bubba Watson has revealed that he was terrified of signing for the breakaway tour due to “the fear of the unknown” and the potential backflash.
Speaking to bunkered’s Michael McEwan, the 44-year-old left hander said he was hesitant at first to put pen to paper, fearing what people would think about him.
The two-time Masters champion signed for LIV Golf in July and is yet to hit a shot in the tour commissioned by Greg Norman.
Watson is still recovering from tearing the meniscus in his right knee.
Related: Did Justin Thomas meet with LIV Golf?
He has been involved in the LIV Golf broadcasts in their “beta test” season, working as an on-course analyst alongside David Feherty.
Watson’s funniest moment so far involved this exchange with Brooks Koepka.
In the 2023 LIV Golf League Watson – who has won 12 times on the PGA Tour – will be a captain for the Niblicks GC side.
He told bunkered:
“In this day and age, it’s so easy to make up a fake name on social media and say what you want and there are no consequences. Nobody gets in trouble and that’s really sad to see.
“For me, personally, that’s what I was dealing with when I was trying to sign the paper. I was so worried about what people were going to say to me and think about me. But I can honestly say that I’ve had nobody , face to face, say anything negative.”
He continued:
“Truthfully, I loved everything about the idea of it but it’s a scary thing when you have to actually sign your name. It’s like buying a house. When you look at how much that new house is costing, it’s like, ‘I don’ I don’t know if I should put my whole name on that.’
“There was nothing wrong with the product. There was nothing wrong with what they were giving us, what they were showing us and what they ultimately produced. It was just fear of the unknown, I guess.”
Watson’s comments come as reports have emerged there has been quite a lot of discontent behind the scenes at LIV.
Their chief operating officer – Atul Khosla – has resigned after he was reportedly involved in a furious argument with the governor of the Saudi wealth fund at LIV’s final stop in Miami.
Related: PGA Tour hit back at Bubba Watson’s claims
LIV are still without a TV deal, something that has been touted as absolutely essential to the tour’s success.
Watson added:
“I mean, let’s be honest, it’s a new business and every new business has a really good chance of failing. So, do you want to put yourself in that situation or do you want to take a leap and not so much change the face too golf as add something new?
“It was a scary thing for me, not least because I’ve got mental health issues that I’ve been pretty open about. I had a lot of conversations with my team and with my wife and, ultimately, we made the decision to go for it.”
Next page: PGA Tour legal team denies “meeting” at The Match
.