Traveling the line of class

Golf fans had to wait long enough to see Bubba Watson raise a trophy on the PGA Tour. His candid, down-to-earth interviews have captured the minds of fans around the world, especially in the U.S. Personally, I've heard him do interviews on Jim Rome's radio show a few times and he always comes with captivating stories and engaging answers to all of Rome's questions.

Few golfers give fans the kind of material Watson always provides. He appears to some as a billboard for ADD, as he jumps from one subject to the next, and at times can display cases of polar opposite emotional meandering. His honesty and humble confidence are why he is beloved. Sure, the huge drives and creative short game help too, but to judge him purely on his golf game would be absurd.

That's why Sunday felt like golf giving back to Watson a little bit of what he's given the game and its fans while he's been on tour. As Watson raised the trophy on the 18th green after a winning a two-hole sudden death playoff against Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank, he tearfully said:

“I’m a very emotional guy, I cry all the time. When I go to church on Sunday, I cry at church. I couldn’t get the ‘Yes’ out of ‘I do’ at my wedding. The pastor said, ‘You got to say it. You can’t just nod. You can’t nod. Everybody has issues. My family had some issues. My dad is battling cancer. My wife last year thought she had a tumor in her brain. We got lucky with that one, and now, we’re battling with my dad. It’s emotional.”

It was classic Watson. Pure class, purely from the heart. 

Putt for dough.. literally

Kenny Perry respects coal miners so much he's willing to make birdie putts more nerve-wracking than they already are. A native Kentuckian, Perry said he grew respecting the work of coal miners and now wants go give back after a mine explosion killed 29 men at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch mine on April 5.

Next month, Perry will play in the Greenbrier Classic in White Sulphur Springs, WV and has committed to donate $2,000 to families of the coal mine disaster. Jim Justice, resort owner, will match Perry's donation. The funds raised will be donated to the families through the West Virginia Council of Churches.

This would be a great cause for other golfer's to get behind for this tournament, but whether they do or not, all golf fans should be pulling for Kenny Perry to shoot a round similar to his 2009 Travelers Championship masterpiece -22.... or better.

Awaiting The Old Course

The Masters is called a tradition unlike any other. In many ways, it most certainly is, but next weekend, the truest golf tradition will resurface: The British Open at St. Andrews. Known as The Open Championship, this tournament is the real tradition unlike any other. While Bobby Jones stamped the perfect golf course in Augusta, GA, St. Andrews in Scotland is the birthplace of golf.

As a links style course, the landscaping - or lack thereof - may not be as polished and pristine as other major tournaments in golf, but that's the beauty of it. The bunkers are deep and difficult and the fairways let a ball run forever - even though they can be hard to distinguish from the rough. Avoid the nasty stuff and you'll be rewarded with huge double greens that welcome approach shots with open arms.

The beauty of the course lies within the unrefined, natural feel and look of all 18 holes. It's 6,387 yards of pure golf, allowing golfers the chance to turn back the clock and play golf the way it was dreamed up.

All we'll be missing next week are wooden clubs with rocks for golf balls.

-Tony Bosma