“I speak for myself, but I feel like I speak for the rest of the guys that if there’s a chance at winning the golf tournament or taking a risk possibly down the stretch to win gold, I don’t think we’re going to play it safe by any means,” Rickie Fowler answered.
That’s when Watson, a two-time Masters champion and nine-time PGA Tour winner, interjected.
“I’m gonna lay up and go for bronze,” he said, prompting laughter in the room. “What? Why is everybody laughing?”
A reporter immediately followed up, asking if Watson was serious.
“I am actually serious,” he said. “But, um, no, it’d be better to have bronze than nothing. But, um, no, it’s situational, you know what I’m saying? ... Obviously, it’s different. There’s no money changing hands. It’s all about getting medals and competing to have that medal around your neck and being on the podium. So, yeah, it’s all situational. It just depends on where you are, what kind of lie you have and what it is at that time.
“But, obviously, you’re going to be looking. If you’re in third place, you’re going to try to make sure you don’t mess up and go to fourth real fast.”
Watson will begin his quest for a medal at 8:14 a.m. ET on Thursday, when he tees off with Germany’s Martin Kaymer and India’s Anirban Lahiri.