New putter, new caddie, old Bubba? Watson sits in second after 36 holes at LIV Golf UK
He insists it's a new caddie and a new putter.
The two-time Masters champ is in the thick of things after two rounds at LIV Golf UK, shooting a solid 3-under 68 at JCB Golf and Country Club in Rocester to sit at 8 under, and in second place heading into Sunday's final round.
Yes, Watson is a half-dozen strokes behind leader Joaquin Niemann, but he's looking to post his third top-7 finish in six starts, following a T-7 in Mexico City and a T-4 in Virginia.
Watson said he's entering the final round with a positive mindset, and hoping that Niemann comes back to the pack.
"I'm going to play it the same way. I've played well the last couple days. It's up to him. It's his golf tournament to win as of right now. If he goes out and plays half of what he's doing today, he wins it. We've got to shoot 10-under or something like that," Watson said. "You're just going to come out and try to have the best finish you can, and if he doesn't start off hot maybe you put pressure on him and you can challenge."
As for the putter, which has been serving Watson well in the past few months, how did he come to the change?
"I talked to Peter Uihlein, who's on my team. He's well-known for being a great putter. Probably top 5, top 10 in the world in putting. I'd say top 5. So I asked him what he did, and he told me he works on his stroke, works on trying to get the stroke the same every time. He told me a couple things to do, a couple training aids, a couple different things to use," Watson said. "Then I went back to the Ping engineers and asked them what kind of putter do I need. I need something that can hit it harder but also keep the ball on line if you mis-hit it. So we went to a mallet. I got a mallet, a Tyne putter, and it's working so far. I'm getting them to the hole.
"In my career I usually leave them a little short so they're usually just missing because I like to die the putts, and now it's getting a little bit harder. Without changing my stroke, it's getting a little bit harder, so more are going in. It's exciting, and I've been calm, working on the mental side of it, and I've been calm out there on the golf course, and it's paying off."
While Watson is looking to add some key points to help push him from his spot at 31st in the LIV Golf standings, he knows numerous players are out there clawing and scracthing as the season winds down, hoping to get a contract for next season.
"There's a lot more stress, 100 percent. There's a lot more stress. Not knowing the number ... I do know the number, but not knowing the number, how many guys are without a contract next year, so there's people that are stressed. They're trying to get top 24. They're trying to stay in the top 48. There's a lot of movement. There's a lot of having to step up and hit great golf shots because they know what's on the line to be in an elite league like this. They want a contract. They want to be able to play here next year, so there's a lot of stress out there for sure."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
3 hours ago
- Fox Sports
LIV Golf UK: Joaquin Niemann Wins Solo Title, Legion XIII Finishes as Top Team
ROCESTER, England – Joaquin Niemann continued his stellar season with a commanding wire-to-wire victory at LIV Golf UK by JCB Golf & Country Club, marking his fifth win of the 2025 season and seventh LIV Golf win overall — both LIV Golf records. The Chilean posted rounds of 65-63-68, finishing at 17-under, three shots ahead of his closest challenger. The triumph followed his decision to part ways with his coach and caddie after missing the cut at The Open Championship, a change he seamlessly overcame. On the team side, Legion XIII surged to a team victory for the second consecutive week and the fifth time this season. Niemann's dominance at JCB was a masterclass, excelling in all major statistical categories. He was exceptional from tee to green and among the week's top putters. The Torque GC captain's relentless performance in LIV Golf victories remains nothing short of jaw-dropping. It felt as though Niemann would not be threatened all day, but Bubba Watson made a strong charge on the back nine. The RangeGoats GC captain was scorching hot, going birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie on holes 9-14. The remarkable run was vintage Watson, and the 44-year-old cut the deficit to two shots with four holes to play. A birdie for Niemann on the 15th hole would stretch the lead back to three, but Watson made things interesting for a short time. He finished the week at 14-under par, good for solo second place and his best-ever LIV Golf finish. Caleb Surratt, 21, continued his rapid ascension as one of the league's brightest young players. He led the way for Legion XIII's come-from-behind team victory on Sunday when he recorded rounds of 67-68-65 to finish at 13-under and in third place, the best LIV Golf finish of his career. In fourth place was Talor Gooch of Smash GC, who shot a 5-under 66 to finish at 11-under and continue his strong form after winning his last start at LIV Golf Andalucia. On the team leaderboard, Legion XIII's victory was claimed by seven shots. The win marks their fourth of the season and eighth in the last two years. The champagne shower extends their stranglehold on the No. 1 seed in the standings as the Team Championship in Michigan inches closer. Surratt led the charge, but it was the consistency of the team, top-to-bottom, that ensured another victory. Jon Rahm charged on Sunday, shooting a 6-under 65 to finish tied for fifth. Tom McKibbin (T11) and Tyrrell Hatton (T21) both played solidly to contribute to the win. Despite a strong effort from Torque GC as they pursued their first team victory since 2023, they weren't able to overcome a tough round for Carlos Ortiz, who shot a 2-over 73. Sebastian Munoz shot a 2-under 69 and Mito Pereira shot an even par 70, which simply wasn't enough to hold off the hard-charging Legion XIII. JCB was easier in Round 3 than in the first two rounds, playing to an average of –1.87. Next up is LIV Golf Chicago at Bolingbrook Golf Club from Aug. 8-10. TEAM SCORES LIV Golf's new scoring format this season now involves all four scores now counting in every round in the team competition. Here are the scores and final results after Sunday's Round 3 at LIV Golf UK. This piece is courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily . FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience LIV Golf recommended Item 1 of 2 Get more from the LIV Golf Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
LIV Golf heading to South Africa for first time, league will play in 5 continents in 2026
LIV Golf continues to expand its schedule, and next year, it's going to South Africa for the first time. The league announced Saturday it will be heading to Steyn City in Johannesburg, South Africa, as part of a multi-year commitment to host an event in Africa. It will be the fifth continent to host a LIV Golf event in 2026, with confirmed events already in Australia and Europe on the schedule. The South Africa event will be held March 20-22. 'It's always special to compete at home, and I'm incredibly proud to bring LIV Golf to South Africa for the first time," said captain Louis Oosthiuizen of Stinger GC, the South African team on LIV Golf. "For Branden, Charl, Dean and I to play in front of our fans, friends and families will be an unforgettable experience. South African sports fans love their golf, and I am sure they will turn out in large numbers to support Stinger GC. South Africa has given so much to us, and now we get to give something back.' Other confirmed dates on the LIV Golf schedule are a return to Adelaide, Australia, from Feb 13-15 and for LIV Golf UK at JCB Golf and Country Club from July 24-26, where Joaquin Niemann won for the fifth time this season Sunday. LIV Golf is also expected to have an event in Saudi Arabia and numerous in the United States next year. The league has hosted tournaments in Singapore and Hong Kong for multiple seasons and debuted in Korea for the first time earlier this year. 'I will tell you that old saying, it truly takes a village to bring an event of this size and scope to a new location,' LIV CEO Scott O'Neil said. 'I will speak for myself saying me and the Minister in five minutes, and speaking to Ross Hallett and Chris Bentley, two of my colleagues here, we knew instantly that (South Africa) is a place we want to be for a very long time. 'I'm humbled. I'm thrilled. I will tell you that to the amazing country of South Africa, we bring an amazing group of people. We bring the best players in the world of golf, and we bring airplane flights, and we fill hotel rooms, and we fill restaurants. In Australia just last year, we had $84 million USD of economic impact. We also bring social impact.' Steyn City is a Jack Nicklaus design located in Midrand, South Africa. Gayton McKenzie, South Africa's Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, said, 'LIV Golf has taken a step that I think is worth emulating for all the major sporting bodies around the world. LIV Golf understands that it cannot truly be called an international competition if it misses a continent. I thought it's going to be very hard to convince LIV Golf that they have to go to South Africa. "I can tell you, after meeting Scott, the CEO, after meeting Ross, I have nothing but praise for them.' More details about the complete 2026 LIV Golf schedule are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Jon Rahm details Caleb Surratt's first LIV Golf podium finish
LIV Golf UK 2025 concluded Sunday at JCB Golf and Country Club in Rocester, England. Former Vol Caleb Surratt was part of the field and recorded his first career top 10 finish. He finished in third place (-13), four strokes behind winner Joaquin Niemann (-17). Bubba Watson finished in second place (-14). Surratt is also part of Legion XIII. He is teammates with Jon Rahm (captain), Tyrrell Hatton and Tom McKibbin. Legion XIII won the LIV Golf UK 2025 team competition (-35) after trailing Torque GC by three stokes entering Sunday's final round. Torque GC (-27) finished in second place and eight strokes behind Legion XIII. Surratt appeared in 15 tournaments at Tennessee from 2022-23. He earned 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year honors and was the 2023 SEC individual champion. The former Vol is in his second season as a professional in LIV Golf. More: Vols' Caleb Surratt becomes first freshman to claim SEC title since Justin Thomas More: Caleb Surratt wins team event at LIV Golf Nashville Rahm discussed Surratt's performance at LIV Golf UK and why he picked him from the Vols for Legion XIII. 'I said last week, I was looking forward to Caleb hopefully having a good tournament and not needing to birdie something like the last four holes for us to win, so it's great to look at the scoreboard and see just that,' Rahm said of Surratt on LIV Golf's broadcast on FS1. 'He is a phenomenal talent, phenomenal player. It's the first podium in his career and first top 10, he should be proud of that. 'He's phenomenal player. I think my goal was always to try to keep the core of the team young. We did just that, even with Kieran (Vincent) last year. Tyrrell and myself, being the older guys last year, 33 and 29, it's not like the craziest thing in the world, right, so I think that was a big part of why the team has done well. Yeah, he might have some inexperience, but he's got the world ahead of him and his whole career ahead of him, so you expect it from someone like him to have a couple of rough weeks, but he's playing really good golf and hopefully this is the confidence booster he needs to take it to another level.' Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
