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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Golf notes: Bubba Watson taking big breaks before majors; no British for Shark

Bubba Watson has played only nine times this year, tied with Rory McIlroy for the fewest of any player among the top 75 on the PGA Tour money list.

Watson played the Cadillac Championship at Doral and took off four weeks before the Masters. He is in the middle of a four-week break before showing up at the U.S. Open. The two-time Masters champion is simply trying to find the right balance to be a golfer, husband and father while keeping up his energy when he does play.

“We all know theories are just theories,” Watson said Tuesday. “But when you look at it on paper, I’m trying to figure out my life. I’m looking at it going, ‘How do I get my best energy level? How do I get the most positive thoughts?’ ”

The U.S. Open is the start of three straight weeks (Travelers, Greenbrier) before he gets a week off ahead of the British Open. And starting with the Bridgestone Invitational, he plays six out of eight weeks.

He played only one round from Doral until the Masters last year – an 83 in the opening round before he withdrew with an allergy problem – and won another green jacket. He had four weeks off this year and tied for 38th.

Watson figures no matter how much time he takes off or how often he competes before a major, “It doesn’t mean I’m going to play well.”

He’ll at least be in Seattle a week ahead of the U.S. Open. Watson said a friend has a city church in the area and he’ll spend the week with him. He already has played Chambers Bay during a charity event hosted by Ryan Moore.

“I don’t know the rules of the USGA, but I’m going to try to play the week before,” he said.

No Norman

Greg Norman could not have realized at the time that Sunday afternoon in the 2005 British Open would be his last round at St. Andrews.

Norman told the BBC that he will not return to the Old Course for his final year of eligibility. The two-time Open champion last played golf’s oldest championship at Turnberry in 2009. Norman said he doesn’t have time to prepare, and it wouldn’t be fair to take a spot from someone who can win.

“For me to get ready to go and play at St. Andrews, I need to practice. And I don’t have time to practice because I’m doing two USGA events for Fox,” said Norman, the analyst for the U.S. Open and U.S. Senior Open. “I’m not going to walk to the first tee and feel like I’m taking up the space of some young kid who could actually learn a heck of a lot more from it. I don’t believe in doing that. I think it’s so unfair to do that.”

Norman speaks from experience.

He was scheduled to play at St. Andrews in 2010 but withdrew on the Friday before the Open because of lingering pain from shoulder surgery. He was replaced in the field that year by some young kid who made his British Open debut at St. Andrews – Jason Day.

Final word

“I’m glad that he doesn’t play every week.” – Will MacKenzie on Rory McIlroy, who won the Wells Fargo by seven shots.