US Open Field 2012: Downfall Is in Store for Bubba Watson at Olympic

Bubba Watson may have been impressive at Augusta in April. He may have lurked right below the surface and pounced on Sunday to steal a win from under Louis Oosthuizen (and hit the best shot of his career in the process).

But now, coming off his first major win and grouped with two of the game's biggest stars, is exactly the point when the pressure threatens to collapse the affable champion.

Watson is one of the most likable stars in the game. He doesn't appear to take himself too seriously. He won't take a lesson, according to Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports, because he doesn't want anyone messing with his swing.

And, of course, there's this.

But after reaching the mountaintop at Augusta a couple of months ago and riding the accompanying high for a long while, it's much too soon to expect Watson to be able to pull off his second straight major.

It doesn't necessarily matter that Tiger Woods is playing well right now (that obviously didn't help him prior to the Masters) or that Phil Mickelson is searching for his first ever win at the U.S. Open after five second-place finishes. It only matters that Watson is grouped with two of the best players this sport has ever seen, and given the fact that this is a guy who is often described as a bit of a headcase, this grouping can't be good for Watson.

For a player like Watson, being able to keep your head down and stay focused on your own game during the crucial first two days of a tournament is a big advantage, and it's one he won't have this weekend unless both Tiger and Mickelson choke. He'll have to use their performances as measuring sticks for his own, and if he's not up to snuff—especially early—it's easy to see how the frustration could spiral out of control.

It's not like Watson has been lights out since the Masters, either. In two appearances, he has registered an 18th-place finish in the Zurich Classic, and he missed the cut after the second round at the Memorial a couple of weeks ago.

On top of the pressure to bounce back and find his Masters form, there are Watson's feelings toward Olympic to consider. There's no love lost between the two. According to the Chicago Tribune's Teddy Greenstein, Watson is one of few players who nitpicked the course's shortcomings instead of raving about its playability in the days leading up to the U.S. Open.

In addition to complaining about the 13th green, Watson told Greenstein that both the 13th and 14th holes are two that "we don't even know how to play."

This weekend is going to be a challenge for the Masters victor. It could end up going well—as NBC analyst Johnny Miller told Greenstein, "I would much rather be playing with two guys that are shooting 67 than two guys that are shooting 79 and going to every toilet"—or it could end up being a disaster, like each of Watson's last two post-Masters performances.

Given the way Watson has been talking about the course—unless he is playing Jedi mind tricks—it seems more likely that we'll see the latter scenario this weekend.