Watson, with priorities in order, is in contention at Masters

Bubba Watson didn’t think he could tear himself away from his month-old son, Caleb, in time to practice for the Masters Tournament.

After Friday’s second round, he was glad his wife, Angie, made him.

The former University of Georgia golfer birdied three holes on the second nine, including the par-5 Nos. 13 and 15, to finish the day with 1-under 71 and 4-under for the tournament.

“Any time you shoot under par in a major golf event, especially at the Masters here, it’s a good day,” Watson said. “Somehow I squeaked in at 1-under.”

Watson’s wife, who played basketball at the University of Georgia as Angie Ball, made sure her husband got the practice – and much-needed sleep – and it has paid off through the first two rounds. Had it been up to him, Watson said he would have foregone the preparation in favor of spending more time with his son, whom the couple adopted less than two weeks ago.

Watson said he typically comes to Augusta on the Saturday before the Masters and gets in practice rounds on Sunday through Wednesday. Had no one urged him to leave earlier, he said he might not have come to Augusta National until Wednesday, the day before the opening round.

“I wanted to come later, but my wife said, ‘No, you need to come in there and practice like normal and don’t worry about it,’ ” Watson said. “She was the one who was pushing me to get here early like I normally do. But I wanted to stay home for sure.”

Watson’s second round took a turn for the worse with bogeys at Nos. 5 and 9 for a 38 through the front nine. But he made par on the next three holes and birdied three of the following four. He nearly carded an eagle at No. 13 but missed a short putt before making his birdie.

“It was about a six-footer, and I’m not very good at putting, so I missed it,” Watson said of his play on No. 13. “But I made an easy birdie, though. I made sure I made the birdie.”

Watson’s season already includes four top-10 finishes and a pair of runner-up performances in two of his previous three tournaments, but he said the pressure of playing through the weekend at the Masters has been replaced by thoughts of his family.

“Here, this is just a golf tournament,” Watson said. “Win, lose or draw, it doesn’t matter in the whole scheme of things. It’d be nice to have a green jacket. But if I don’t win, no big deal. Our new son’s at home, so obviously that’s more important to me than trying to make a putt and win a golf tournament.”