Last Sunday, Bubba Watson flew his tee shot on the par-3 12th over the back of the green. That, of course, is a tricky spot from which to play, and an overaggressive chip or putt from that shaved area can skirt across the lightning-fast green and into Rae’s Creek.
Watson opted for the putter with his second shot, and he nestled the ball within a few feet for an easy par.
After that first putt, though, his caddie, Ted Scott, walked up to Watson and said, breathlessly, “Pinehurst is coming up, and you’re going to have to putt so much at Pinehurst because of the greens and how they roll off. You’re the best at putting from the (fringe). Your short game, you’re really good around the greens. You have a great shot at winning that.”
Watson was leading the Masters by two, and he was six holes from a second green jacket, and his caddie’s mind was on … Pinehurst?
Watson laughed while retelling the story Tuesday on “Morning Drive.” And besides, Scott quickly wised up.
“But let’s not get carried away,” Scott told him. “Let’s stay in the moment here.”