Watson thrives on Hollywood vibe
Bubba Watson's bid for a third US PGA Tour title at Riviera Country Club isn't the only thing occupying his time this week. Watson raised eyebrows before the Genesis Open started when he said he'd withdraw if an unfavorable tee time might cause him to miss the NBA All-Star celebrity game, across town at Staples Center on Friday evening. In the end, he didn't need to worry. Watson teed off at 7:43 am and produced a second-round 70 that left him three shots off the clubhouse lead of Patrick Cantlay with plenty of time to spare. "Hoping my car doesn't break down so we get there," Watson said. "So I can say I played or sat on the bench. "It's just the atmosphere," he added. "Saying I sat on the bench at Staples Center, seeing some of the greats, some of the people that I love and have friendships with, it will be a blast." The NBA's All-Star festivities aren't the only extra-curricular attractions taking up Watson's time in star-studded Los Angeles. He said he "may or may not have" taped a show with US comedy icon Jay Leno. He visited comedian and chat show host Ellen DeGeneres and watched a taping of TV sitcom "The Big Bang Theory". "It's Hollywood," Watson said. "Do stuff! Let's have some fun and enjoy life." All the activity hasn't seemed to hurt Watson's on-course performance. He leapt up the leaderboard on Friday with a run of five birdies in six holes in the middle of his round before a couple of late miscues slowed his progress. "It was just a good stretch of holes," said Watson, who teed off on 10 and bogeyed the 15th before rolling in an eight-footer for birdie at the par-three 16th. "Eighteen I birdied yesterday, birdied it today. And number one somehow I made another seven-footer for a birdie. "Then made a nice recovery out of the rough there on two, which was my 11th hole, made about a 12-, 15-footer. So it's just making the putts at the right time." "Then I missed a short one that I felt would go one way and it decided to go the other way. That's golf." Watson, 39, is coming off a disappointing 2016-17 season in which he dropped out of the top 100 in the world rankings. The two-time Masters champion missed the cut at Augusta National last April. But Watson says he's now healthy and ready to contend. Riviera, where he won in 2014 and in 2016 -- the most recent of his nine US PGA Tour titles -- would seem an ideal spot for him to do so. "Anybody that's won at a place, they love it," Watson said. "You get energized."
