Bubba’s drug deal and strange texts to Tiger
Bubba Watson’s new sponsor
After Jason Dufner’s deal to promote toilet paper and Carly Booth’s, shall we say, questionable sponsorship from the Saudi Arabian Golf Federation, Bubba Watson has risked the wrath of the PGA Tour after signing up to promote a cbdMD.
CBD is cannabidiol, a natural chemical found in cannabis, which is mainly used to treat anxiety, movement disorders, and pain.
This is what Andy Levinson, executive director of the PGA Tour’s Anti-Doping Program, told Golf Digest about the use of CBD:
CBD in its pure form is not prohibited, but the use of CBD in any of its currently available forms would be at a player’s own risk.
While Marijuana Moment added:
CBD products (like all supplements) pose a risk to athletes because they have limited government regulation and may contain THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis that is prohibited.
So using it on the sly and, as the Tour say, at their own risk, is one thing. But to have the company’s logo splashed all over your apparel is another. Scott Piercy is an advocate, while Watson will be the most high-profile player to officially sign with a CBD company.
In a statement, Watson said:
I’ve personally felt the benefits of cbdMD’s products. cbdMD is the safest on the market and I am proud to partner with them to help millions feel better.
Which is exactly what you would say if they had just handed you a blank cheque to endorse their products.
So where does these sponsorship oddities end? Well I for one can’t wait for Eddie Pepperell’s line of sex toys…
Tiger texts
Sticking with Bubba, what would you do if you had Tiger Woods phone number? You’d definitely NOT do anything to piss him off, right?
Like, you wouldn’t text him photos of inanimate objects. Or would you?
Anyway, for some reason Bubba was a guest on The Dan Patrick Show in the week and the host asked him if he has the now 15-time major champion’s digits.
Watson said he does and apparently the key is to be on the same team as Tiger at events like the Ryder and Presidents Cups:
You get every player’s number so y’all can have a group text going. And so even if he blocks me, I get it that week and then I’ll have it for a little bit.
So why on earth would Tiger block Bubba? Because he abuses the trust. That’s why.
I send him so many text messages. Just random stuff like ‘Look at this, it’s a bottle of water.’ So that might be why he blocked me. But for that one week when we’re on the team together, I love to just send him random stuff. And he’s like ‘Can you please stop?’
During a team press conference at the 2016 Ryder Cup, Watson blurted out:
I have Tiger’s cell phone number now!
Before turning to the great man and adding:
I’m going to text you all the time!
Maybe lay off the weed, Bubba.
Phil the still
If you’ve been following Phil Mickelson on social media since he finally took the plunge, you will know that the five-time major champion has been rather entertaining.
Whether he’s explaining how he achieves his frankly ridiculous calves…
Parts 3, 4, and 5 of Phil Kwan Do calves. You’ve mastered the point and pull, now let’s get it to the finish line. #CalvesLikeAdonis #PhilKwanDoCalves pic.twitter.com/mCj67eqlsY
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) April 29, 2019
…or his Masters banter about Matt Kuchar…
Weekend at @TheMasters hitting BOMBS ? and attacking pins.
LFG!!! #Lefty pic.twitter.com/yTt0yVJ5tQ— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) April 13, 2019
…the Californian goofball might just be the best thing to happen to golf Twitter.
And Lefty is the star of another hilarious photo that has, as the kids say, gone viral.
The photo, taken by Honda Classic winner Keith Mitchell, shows Mickelson asleep in the locker room ahead of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow:
Mitchell explains in the post that he could not access his locker and his options are to wake up Mickelson or play in the pro-am wearing trainers.
Very funny, I’m sure you’ll agree, but first of all Keith the solution is to just take Mickelson’s shoes.
And also, did you even go to university? If so you’d be taking a permanent marker to his face and seeing how many ashtrays you can balance on his head.
Right, that’s enough from me. But before I go, a couple of recommended reading.
You may have seen that Edoardo Molinari chucked the proverbial cat among the proverbial pigeons this week when he named and shamed the players who were pushing their luck when it comes to pace of play.
Well, Mark Townsend has got hold of the document the European Tour sends all players and breaks it down bit by bit, right down to how the fines work. You kick back and enjoy, and I’ll put the kettle on.
Elsewhere, if you’re a club player, then you’re going to want to keep up to speed with everything Steve Carroll has to say about the World Handicap System, of which there was quite a significant update this week.
And finally, course etiquette is a hotly-contested topic, so I sent Harvey Jamison to find out what club golfers are saying and, as you’ll see, there is some interesting finger pointing going on…
Enjoy.
Who’s to blame for poor bunker etiquette? Club golfers have their say
Revealed: What a European Tour player has to do to get fined
When will the World Handicap System come into play in the UK?
Alex Perry
Alex has been the editor of National Club Golfer since 2017. A Devonian who enjoys wittering on about his south west roots, Alex moved north to join NCG after more than a decade in London, the last five of which were with ESPN. Away from golf, Alex follows Torquay United and spends too much time playing his PlayStation or his guitar and not enough time practising his short game.
