It is 10 years since 103 PGA Tour players, including 21 major champions, took part in a secret survey which addressed a number of topics within the game, including whether Rory McIlroy would complete the Career Grand Slam at the 2015 Masters.
The majority of players were correct in assuming that it would not be his year at Augusta National.
Unsurprisingly, the most newsworthy question in the ESPN poll concerned the person that each player would not go to help in a fight in the parking lot.
Rory Sabatini and Robert Allenby received nine percent of the vote. Meanwhile, Patrick Reed finished second on 11 percent.
The winner – if that is the right word – received 23 votes from his peers.
The least popular player on the PGA Tour in a 2015 poll
Bubba Watson is a unique figure in the current game. He seems to play the game like few others, and certainly played his part in inspiring other players to try and add more distance.
Of course, the high points of his career came at Augusta National, with two Masters titles to his name. His approach in the playoff with Louis Oosthuizen in 2012 is one of the most iconic shots in the event’s history.
However, it seems that he was someone that divided his fellow professionals, with Watson winning the vote.
As noted by Bleacher Report, Watson had been known for strongly criticising his caddies, losing his cool with fans if they, in his mind, made too much noise, and getting frustrated with golf courses if he was not playing well.
How Bubba Watson reacted to being voted the most unpopular player on the PGA Tour
Watson is the kind of player who does attract fans to the sport. He did not appear to overcomplicate his game, and spent most of his career without a full-time coach.
Nevertheless, he seemed to take the news that he was potentially the most unpopular player on the PGA Tour in good grace.
“Here is the way I take it: I take it as I need to improve as a man,” he said, as reported by ESPN. “I take it with pride. I need to get better. And I think over my career, since my rookie season to now, I’ve gotten better.
“But obviously there’s more room for me to improve as a man. And so hopefully next year or the year after, it improves. It’s a challenge. It’s great. I’m glad that it came out and it’s going to help me improve.
“So if it’s a bad thing and people don’t like me, then I’ve got to improve and prove them wrong.”
Watson also revealed ahead of the 2015 Masters that he had voted for himself anyway.
“I answered that question, I put my name on there, because I’m not going to call out anybody; there’s nobody I dislike on tour,” he said.
It would certainly be fascinating to see a similar poll done today. Golf has become so much more divisive. And a number of players have not made themselves too popular with some of the stances they have taken.
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