Rickie Fowler Buys Bubba Watson Dinner after Third Round at Bay Hill

HUMOR—Good friends Rickie Fowler and Bubba Watson are in the mix for Sunday at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Invitational. Tonight, Fowler buys dinner for Watson.

“I was talking off four tee, and we mentioned dinner, and I said, ‘High score buys!’ “ he explained. “I made too many bogeys.”  

Fowler is just one back of Watson, but he is looking forward to the challenge of another Sunday in contention, seeking his first win.

“I’ve won on the junior, amateur and college level,” he said confidently. “I come out here and been in a couple of playoffs and had a couple close finishes.”

He believes it’s a matter of continuing to knock on the door.

“I want to be known as a great player and I want to be a winner,” he said.  “I think we are on track with playing well.”       

Unfortunately, Fowler pulled a tee shot on six, put a ball in the water on the par five and made double.  He is now four shots off the lead.

“I think four is catchable,” he said.  “Obviously, one of the leaders goes out and plays well, it could be tough to catch them, but it’s a tough golf course.” 

At dinner, Fowler expects Watson to order the most expensive thing on the menu. 

“But we’ll see where we end up going,” Fowler added with a good-natured grin.  

Watson, who is tied for third with Steve Marino, said the best part of his day was that he was done.

He complained of being nervous during the round and compared it to being similar to nerves he has at major championships because of the tough set up and big crowds.

“I had two bad swings all day,” he said, “ but then I hit a lot of good iron shots.  I made two long putts,” One was for eagle and the other was the birdie on the 18th.

The most interesting shot of the day he hit was from under the magnolia trees at the corner of the dogleg on the par-four 15th.  He did not have a clear shot at the green and had to manufacture a hook.

“I ran it up there between the two bunkers,” he said like most people would talk about a routine chip or a two-foot putt. 

Watson also thinks the leaders can be caught.

“If you‘re hitting the ball great, yes, you can catch up easily, and if they hit bad shots,” he said. “If they shoot mid 60s, nobody will catch them.”