Jordan Spieth says there’s one shot Bubba Watson hit on the 13th hole at Augusta National he ‘will never forget’

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Few players have appeared to master Augusta National quite like Jordan Spieth did in his first few visits to the iconic course, with the 31-year-old not finishing outside the top two in his first three appearances.

Of course, Jordan Spieth won the 2015 Masters in one of the most impressive statements Augusta National has seen. Meanwhile, he should have added another green jacket to his collection in 2016 before falling apart on the second nine on Sunday.

But it all began in 2014, with Spieth finishing in a tie for second on his debut. Spieth was in the last group for the final round on his Masters bow. Not only that, but the Texan even took the lead on the second hole.

That lead over Bubba Watson would extend to two shots in the early stages. However, by the time the pair had reached the turn, it was Watson leading by two after a dramatic turnaround over the eighth and ninth holes.

The shot Bubba Watson hit at The Masters which stunned Jordan Spieth

And it was basically on the 13th hole where the 2012 champion put himself out of sight, with Watson making a birdie to move three shots clear of Spieth. That would remain the margin for the rest of the round.

And speaking on The Masters’ YouTube channel with Trevor Immelman, Spieth shed light on what the experience was like playing alongside Watson that day at Augusta National – as well as discussing the one shot his playing partner hit which left him stunned.

Immelman said: “In 1978 – Gary Player shoots 30 on the back, 64, and wins the tournament.
On the final green Seve Ballasteros runs up to him to congratulate him and Seve is crying. Gary had just won the tournament. And Seve is crying and as he shakes Gary’s hand he says to him, that was so brilliant, thanks so much for teaching me how to win this tournament. Is there any part of that, you finished and had seen Bubba celebrate and you’re like now I know I have everything it takes to win the green jacket?”

“He did a lot really well to win that day. When I look back on it, our style of golf and the way we played was so different that I would not have possibly been able to say that to him there. It did not cross my mind at all like that. He airmailed 12 long right, you never see anyone miss it there on Sunday, but he is left handed so it’s okay if you pull it and it goes far. He knew where to go. On 13 he hit a drive he thought he missed left, I will never forget watching the drive. He hits it and I’m like I am back. All of a sudden there is then a roar from around the corner and not even the crowd straight through. It was around the corner, almost like someone made a putt on the green, and he hit a sand wedge or something in to the hole that day,” Spieth replied.

“There is two gaps and he was on the left side of the left gap, cutting. Obviously it still bothers me!”

“I thought it was about the mistakes I made myself and it was like I have enough control to not make those mistakes. I get a little bit better control, a little more patient and aware of how to hit putts on these greens and I want to start over right now,” he went on to add.

The greatest shot Bubba Watson ever hit at The Masters

Of course, Augusta National provided the most iconic shot of Watson’s career two years earlier. In fact, it was one of the most remarkable moments in Masters history.

The shot came in the playoff in 2012, with Watson hooking the ball from the trees on 10 on his way to beating Louis Oosthuizen.

It is the kind of shot which is difficult to fully grasp, particularly for those of us watching on television. However, one of those who was not caught up in the magic of the shot was the man on Watson’s bag, Ted Scott.

Scott previously explained why he was not stunned by the approach.

“When we get over there, it’s not to discount the shot, but it wasn’t as impressive to me as it was to everybody else, because they’re not used to seeing that. I was so used to seeing that that the only question I had was what club is going to be the right club. That was it, that was the only decision we had to make. The ball was above his feet, the lie was good, there was a huge opening and you have a guy that loves to hook the ball from the middle of the fairway, so it’s like perfect. This is not a bad thing, so the only conversation was what club do I think, and he hits a pretty straight gap wedge 135, and the pin was 165, so we’re like, okay, let’s just take the club that would go to the front of the green and your hook should get us beyond that and probably not over, and it ended up working out really well,” he said.

Perhaps Watson has not won as many tournaments as he should have done during his career given his natural talent. But had he had a long-time coach or played more conventionally at his peak, then there is an argument that some of Watson’s most iconic moments would not have happened.