Defying physics again: Bubba Watson hits improbable shot out of woods at Masters

Bubba Watson hit a golf ball Friday afternoon that looked eerily similar to one he hit six years ago. The obstacle was the same. The curve was the same. The course was the same. The absurdity of the stroke was the same.

It was the kind of physics-defying shot Watson has become known for ever since the 2012 Masters. A viewer probably didn’t even need to see the golfer to know who hit it.

“Just to let you know,” Watson said. “I curve a lot of (shots).”

Watson, who entered Friday’s round 1 over par, had lowered his score to 3 under par entering the 11th hole. There, Watson’s tee shot rolled onto a bed of pine straw.

As Watson approached his ball, a tree stood directly between Watson and the green 193 feet away. Watson and his caddie, Ted Scott, decided to use an 8-iron. Scott wanted Watson to get back onto the fairway instead of attacking the green. Watson thought otherwise.

“I think I can do this,” Watson told Scott. “Remember, we did this before.”

On the second hole of a playoff with Louis Oosthuizen in 2012, Watson hit his tee shot on the 10th hole into the trees and pine straw that line the right side of the fairway. Somehow, Watson hooked the ball onto the green to save par and win his first Masters.

The stakes were lower when Watson lined up over his ball on Friday, but Watson approached the shot the same way. Watson swung his club and the ball wrapped around the tree and sailed toward the green.

“What in the world is he trying to do?” one TV commentator said.

The ball landed, bounced and rolled to a stop 20 feet from the cup.

“Oh,” the commentator said. “That’s what he’s trying to do. You can’t teach that, can you?”

Said Watson: “The key was just hooking it. If you over-hook it you still have a chance to get up and down.”

Watson parred the hole. He later bogeyed 13 and 15 to enter the weekend’s rounds 2 under par — seven strokes behind leader Patrick Reed. Watson wished he could have redone a couple shots during his round, but he thought he played well.

And for at least a moment, it felt like 2012 again.

This story was originally published April 6, 2018 at 9:25 PM with the headline "Defying physics again: Bubba Watson hits improbable shot out of woods at Masters."