What happens when you send a Bubba to Paris? In the case of golfer Bubba Watson, it wasn’t pretty.
Playing last week in the French Open, where he missed the 36-hole cut but still took home $240,000 in appearance money, Watson enraged many in France with his bad behavior.
Watson blamed a lack of crowd control for his poor performance, saying he was disturbed by fans with cameras and cell phones. He also was put off, he said, by the lack of ropes separating fans from players.
Watson also enraged French sensibilities by referring to the Arc de Triomphe as “the arch in the middle of the road” and Versailles as “the castle next to where I’m staying.”
U.S. women’s golfer Christina Kim blasted Watson on Twitter, saying he “acted like a fool” and “was a spoiled prima donna.”
Watson apologized via Twitter for his behavior in France. But even that was poorly worded. He opened with “If I offended anyone …”
Watson hopes the furor won’t spill over to the British Open on July 14-17 at Royal St. George’s.
