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Bubba Watson has revealed that worrying about what people would think of him made him hesitant to join LIV Golf.
The two-time Masters champion waited until the end of July to commit to the new tour, announcing his decision live and on-air during coverage of the third event in New Jersey.
Speaking in the latest edition of bunkered (issue 198, on-sale now), Watson was pressed about why he delayed his decision.
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“In this day and age, it’s so easy to make up a fake name on social media and say what you want and there are no consequences,” said the American. “Nobody gets in trouble and that’s really sad to see.
“For me, personally, that’s what I was dealing with when I was trying to sign the paper. I was so worried about what people were going to say to me and think about me. But I can honestly say that I’ve had nobody, face to face, say anything negative.”
Watson, who has yet to hit a competitive shot on LIV as he recovers from a knee injury, added: “Truthfully, I loved everything about the idea of it but it’s a scary thing when you have to actually sign your name. It’s like buying a house. When you look at how much that new house is costing, it’s like, ‘I don’t know if I should put my whole name on that’.
“There was nothing wrong with the product. There was nothing wrong with what they were giving us, what they were showing us and what they ultimately produced. It was just fear of the unknown, I guess.
• LIV Golf announces new venues for 2023
• Luke Donald hints at new-look Ryder Cup team
“I mean, let’s be honest, it’s a new business and every new business has a really good chance of failing. So, do you want to put yourself in that situation or do you want to take a leap and not so much change the face of golf as add something new?
“It was a scary thing for me, not least because I’ve got mental health issues that I’ve been pretty open about. I had a lot of conversations with my team and with my wife and, ultimately, we made the decision to go for it. “
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