Bubba Watson’s dad wanted him to play baseball. Needless to say, sticking with golf instead during high school has worked out pretty well for the 10-time PGA Tour winner and two-time Masters champ.
It has also allowed him to carry on his love for the game he left behind. In 2015, Watson became part owner of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, an independent league team in his hometown, and his success on the course has led to multiple opportunities to throw out the first pitch at a number of stadiums across Major League Baseball.
Tuesday, Watson got the royal treatment at Wrigley Field. I mean, really, is there a better place to do so in all of baseball? (Full disclosure, I’m a longtime Cubs fan.)
Before the game, he posed for pics with the Cubs’ power trio of Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber, then, instead of taking batting practice stuck with what he knows best and hit a few golf balls into the outfield (no need to hit them over the wall and injure the thousands lingering on Waveland or Sheffield).
He even helped spray down the field before the game (what a guy!) and of course threw out the first pitch – unlike some golfers who play lefty and throw righty, he is lefty all the way.
There were other stops, too: Inside the legendary scoreboard, the radio booth for a visit with Cubs broadcasters Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer and, of course, leading the singing of 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' during the seventh-inning stretch.
Watson got all the words right but let’s just say his singing efforts left a lot to be desired as he let the crowd do pretty much all the work. At least he added a hearty “Let’s get some runs!” to cap it off.
The Cubs, unfortunately, didn’t comply, losing 10-1 to the Indians. That’s OK, we’ll always have 2016!
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