Bubba Watson riding high into Augusta

The stars could be aligning for Bubba Watson to win another Masters Tournament.

He won in 2012 and 2014 and so far his season is eerily similar to those two years.

• He won at Riviera in mid-February, just as he did in 2014.

• He also was a runner-up in early March in the World Golf Championship-Cadillac Championship both those years.

“Yeah, it would be amazing (to win a third Masters), but again, I’m not putting my eggs that I’m going to do it or I can do it again,” Watson said after winning at Riviera. “I’m going to just give it my best effort and hopefully I keep my streak going of never missing a cut there.”

That’s about as much as Watson will say about his chances in the Masters.

Watson might not seem bullish on his chances of adding another green jacket to his collection, but other players consider him as one of the favorites.

After winning the Honda Classic and WGC-Cadillac Championship in back-to-back weeks, Adam Scott tabbed Watson as the man to beat.

“Even if I won every tournament I play before the Masters, if Bubba keeps finishing second, I’d still think he’s favored,” Scott said. “It just sets up so good there for him. Obviously his record there is amazing the last couple of years. He’s got to be feeling great about his game.”

This will be Watson’s eighth Masters appearance and it continues to be a learning experience even after winning two green jackets.

“Obviously, the more you play the golf course, the more you learn,” he said. “And having the success, winning twice, knowing I have the ability to do it, obviously that calms you down and lets you try to play golf a little bit.”

Watson’s mental game on the course also continues to be a work in progress, he said. He was pleased with that aspect on the closing holes when he won at Riviera and when he finished second at Doral.

“The last five years have been really tough,” he said. “The physical game is not the problem. It’s the mental, and it’s staying focused. It’s staying focused on each shot. I’m thinking about dinner, I’m thinking about basketball games, It’s focusing on the golf shot. The last few years I’ve been working on it. It’s a slow process, but hopefully I’ll get better at it.”

Watson was proud that he stayed focused on the tough par-4 18th hole of the final round in the WGC-Cadillac Championship. Playing a group in front of Scott, who led Watson by a shot at the time, Watson nearly holed a short chip shot for birdie from the fringe and made par. Scott had to scramble for his par to win by one shot.

“I thought even though I lost, I thought what I did on 18 was beautiful,” Watson said. “I couldn’t hit a 6-iron, so I tried to chip a 5-iron and tried to cut it more so it would slow it up but a 6-iron could have easily come up short. So I thought I did everything right, and I did. I couldn’t ask for a better two shots and a good chip.”

Watson, 37, is considering cutting back his PGA Tour schedule when he reaches 40. The Masters, however, will still be part of his schedule.

“I’m always going to be at Augusta,” he said. “They are going to have to kick me off Augusta. I’m going to be 80 struggling down the fairway. ... They are going to have to send me that letter that says, ‘Bubba, don’t you come back.’”