Many this side of the pond will have came across him for the first time last autumn – first, as he lost out to Martin Kaymer at the USPGA Championship in a play-off, and second in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor.
Admittedly, his Augusta record is nothing to write home about – T20th in 2008 and 42nd in 2009 being his best finishes – but this fudges the fact that he has a game made for Augusta.
As Mike Weir and Phil Mickelson have already shown, left-handers love it round Augusta and Watson should be no different.
His big strength is his length off the tee courtesy of a booming swing that is all his own making. In fact, he was amongst the three longest drivers in 14 of his 22 PGA events last season. And he is just as deadly with a driver in his hand on a fairway, as this early contender for shot of the year at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions shows.
He has form. He won the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year, seeing off a certain Phil Mickelson into the runners-up spot. That and his fourth at the WGC-Accenture Matchplay – coupled with his Ryder Cup and USPGA exploits – means he now has that all-important experience of the business end of tournaments.
The crowd will also be on his side – and not just because he is American. Watson was a player at the local University of Georgia in 2000 and 2001, meaning he should get some very vocal support.
The one question mark that lurks is around his short game. Nick Faldo has gone on record as saying that only the best putters win the Masters. I guess he would say that having won it three times himself, but he has a point.
For me, there have been signs that Watson’s short game is close to matching his long game. Boss of the moss thinks this could be his time to shine.
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