A few years ago, Bubba Watson hit rock bottom when he stepped on the bathroom scale and saw his weight had dropped to 162 pounds. At 6’3″, his frail frame was a clear reflection of the severe anxiety he had been battling in silence for years. The two-time Masters champion feared he was suffering from a terminal illness, haunted by the memory of his late father, who lost 98 pounds in less than a year while battling throat cancer.

“Golf was killing me. I was letting my position on the money list, world rankings, and Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup standing eat at my soul,” he wrote in the first chapter of his memoir. This also gave him social anxiety, and he would barely be able to speak to people. Cut to 2022, he resigned from the PGA Tour and joined LIV Golf as the captain of a team. He named it the RangeGoats. But what made him choose the name? As it turns out, it has a lot of relevance to the struggles he faced while trying to beat his anxiety.

In the recent episode of the Home Course series, where Bubba Watson gives a tour not just of his house but his life as well, he was asked about the logic behind the name he had chosen for his team. To this, he said, “On the range, we’re all good, we’re all GOATs right? Now when we leave the range, we’re not good anymore.” He added that it was funny in his head. However, adding on to the explanation he stated that GOAT is not the greatest of all time in this case. It signifies how when you are playing in LIV Golf, you play and grow as a team. That is why it made so much sense to him.

Watson said, “When I was going through all my mental health struggles and stuff I needed a team around me to help me, I needed people around me to help me.” And that is exactly what all the members of RangeGoats GC have been doing for each other. 

Well, Bubba Watson’s journey of recovery has been a very humbling stance for him. So much so that now, he never misses out on an opportunity to help someone who needs it. Pretty much like the safe space he created for the new member Matthew Wolff.

 Not only Watson, Matthew Wolff struggling with mental health problems too

At the 2021 Masters, Matthew Wolff had reached rock bottom. He ended up missing the cut because he signed the wrong scorecard and was disqualified from the tournament. It caused him so much damage that he went on hiatus for more than two months. He came back for the US Open. “I think the biggest thing right now that I’m trying to do is enjoy myself again and just take care of myself really,” Wolff said that week. However, that did not work out for him. Later the next year, he signed a contract with LIV Golf.

According to him, it would help him fix his mental health. He became a member of Smash GC under Brooks Koepka last season after playing for HyFlyers in the inaugural season. However, for him, prioritizing his mental health came first. But his performance went on and off the course. And that was when they decided the team did not fit him. He needed a team that could provide a better and more calm environment for him. “Being on a team with Bubba, I think he’ll be able to help me out with that aspect. But more than anything, just kind of getting me in a position where I feel like I can thrive and be myself. I feel like it’s a good fit here,” he said.

Well as it turns out, it has been working pretty great for him so far. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section below!