Bubba Watson has said that if he wins 10 times, he'll walk away from golf. He'll retire.
On Sunday, Watson won the Hero World Challenge by three shots for his ninth career win. So, one win away from hitting the ole' dusty trail? Not so fast. Watson clarified his stipulation -- you could say, he backtracked -- after his Bahamian win.
“Ten U.S. victories,” Watson clarified. “I don’t count this as a PGA Tour victory. It counts as a victory. It’s very big for my career personally, but I don’t see it as 10.”
The Hero World Challenge, while recognized by the PGA Tour, isn't an official event. Watson has eight PGA Tour wins, taking the Travelers Championship in June.
Watson is playing next week in Thailand. A win there would be his 10th. So Watson, 37, isn't all that keen on walking away quite yet -- not after his most consistent PGA Tour season.
With the win, Watson, the No. 4 player in the world, earned 46 points toward the Official World Golf Ranking. However, that win didn't make much of a dent in the deficit he faces to get to No. 3 Rory McIlroy which, entering the week, was 3.86 points -- or, the difference between Watson and No. 23 in the world. Perhaps, then, that's why Watson could confidently add another condition for premature retirement.
“If I ever become No. 1 in the world, I’m walking away," Watson said. "I’m going to walk away on top. But let’s be honest, nobody here’s voting on that, right? Everybody thinks I’m not going to do that.”
