Bubba Watson in France & an Era of Big Personalities

June 30, 2011 - Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images Europe

The biggest story in golf this weekend will probably end up being the one about Bubba Watson's behavior in France.

The fractious Floridian has assumed the mantel of golf's newest newsmaker... following in the footsteps of Tiger’s Knee and Lucas Glover’s Beard... because of a "rant" he launched upon missing the cut at the Alstom Open de France.

The remarks which began with his observations regarding the on-course ambiance in Paris, which is decidedly less structured than one typically finds at US events:

"It's not a normal tournament. There's cameras, there's phones, there's everything. There's no security. I don't know which holes to walk through. There's no ropes."

he then clarified, admitting: 

"I'm not used to that, I'm not saying it's bad. It's just something I'm not used to, I'm not comfortable with. It's very strange to me. Just very uncomfortable."

So, why did this become such a buzz-worthy, socially-shared, thoroughly reported... and re-reported... news story?  Probably because in addition to the fairly matter-of-fact comments above, Mr. Watson made a multitude of remarks that seemed almost totally scripted to reinforce/exaggerate his "unworldly, small town American good ol' boy persona":  he supposedly called the Eiffel Tower, "that big tower",  described the Château de Versailles as, "the castle we're staying next to" and dismissed the Arc de Triomphe as "this arch I drove round in a circle".  There were also reports of condescending behavior towards European fans and European Tour players.

The result was a virtual tsunami of Bubba Watson coverage.  A multitude of independent golf blogs picked up the story as did golf's most esteemed publications. Where it appeared, a lively debate generally ensued in the comments sections.  On Twitter, "Bubba Watson's French Misadventure" has inspired... and continues to inspire... a river of tweets from from a cross section of golf media types, tour players and fans.

At face value... particularly on Friday afternoon... this incident seemed to be a clear negative for the three time PGA Tour winner,  but with the passage of a few days, and with an apology that came via @bubbawatson on Twitter,  I'm not so sure about that.

Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal's John Paul Newport wrote about the return of Big Personalities to professional golf, contrasting a generation of robopros with some of today's more visible and distinctive up-and-comers such as Rickie Fowler, Ian Poulter and... Bubba Watson. Ultimately he concludes that there may just appear to be "more characters in pro golf as a result of players' newfound awareness of the power of personal branding and their ability to express themselves through social media".

Oscar Wilde said "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about" and that's  probably truer than ever in these days of audience fragmentation and short attention spans.  Given the fact that with a decent reputation management agent and an established social media presence one can control the fallout from an incident like l'affaire Bubba quite effectively and possibly even use it to enhance the brand.

And today's click-hungry media environment only makes such a strategy more effective.

At the 2007 Open de France

Editor's Note: When I attended the awesome Open de France a few years ago I was delighted surprised to find out that cameras, video recorders and cell phones were allowed all over the course throughout the tournament. I've got to admit it did cross my mind... as I discreetly took photos and shot video... that it had to be a bit distracting for the players. ~ At one point, as Colin Montgomery was leaving the green after a narrowly missed birdie putt, an amateur paparazzi got a bit too close and received an angry scowl and raised fist from surly Scotsman. Whoopsies.

La France Élue! France Will Host the 2018 Ryder Cup

Back in November I wrote about The World Amateur Team Championship where French amateur champion Alexander Levy's 50 foot birdie putt on the 17th hole at Buenos Aires Golf Club helped Team France earn their first Eisenhower Trophy in spectacular fashion.

Mr. Levy, his talented teammate Romain Wattel and 2009 World Amateur Champion Victor Dubuisson... along with awesome Alexandre Kalek, a winner on the Challenge Tour... represent "Generation 2018" and realistic hopes that there will be French players on the 2018 European Ryder Cup team.   Now that France has won the bid, and Golf National has been confirmed as the 2018 venue these players... and other young French golfers... will have additional motivation to excel.

The first professional golf tournament I ever attended... back in 2006... was the Alstom Open de France and I remember being impressed with the links style bunkers and wide fairways at Golf National.

I Also remember the the island green on the par five 18th... it made for an exciting tournament back then as it undoubtedly will in 2018.

Beyond the course there's the culturall appeal of the French capitol, as a cultural mecca offering extraordinary shopping, gourmet dining and gorgeous public gardens.

Paris, it turnes out  is the most popular travel destination in Europe and while the competing bidders may be somewhat disappointed now,  I tend to think they'll be quite happy with it once the time comes.

Raph's Rousing Win & Tiger's Take on the French Bid

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My first official round of golf took place in France, on a municipal course just outside of Paris, and my biggest cheerleader in learning the game has been a Frenchman.  That same Frenchman is also my favorite and at times most annoying playing partner. The French Open, back in 2007, was my first time at a professional golf tournament.

Without a doubt, France has a major place in my personal history with golf, and as such, I'm a huge fan of French players.  Gregory Havret's 2010 U.S. Open run last summer... The French team's victory at the 2010 World Amateur Championship... those kinds of things tend to make me happy. So naturally, when I heard Raphael Jacquelin had won the (rain delayed) Sicilian Open on Monday, I was très heureux... to say the least.

This win was long awaited too, as they often are in professional golf.  It was the Jacquelin's third win on the European tour the previous one being the 2007 BMW Asian Open.  Four years... and a full beard later... Raf is once again in the winner's circle and France... along with Spain, Portugal, Holland and Germany... is about to find out if it will be hosting the 2018 Ryder Cup. The winner is to be announced at Wentworth Club on May 17th.

The French Ryder Cup bid is brilliant and players of all nationalities are speaking about Paris as a stellar venue.  Lee Westwood talked about the final four holes at Golf National and the familiarity professional golfers have with the course. 2010 Captian Colin Montgomerie mentioned the global significance of the city of Paris.   Tiger Woods weighed in as well. He reminisced on playing there in 1994 at the World Amateur Championship and revealed he'd only been to Paris a couple of times, but declared that it would be a great venue.

As the most visited city in the world, Paris has an infrastructure that can efficiently handle the masses of visitors a Ryder Cup would bring and clearly, the players love GolfNational.  With Chateau de Versailles as a backdrop, a FanZone at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and till-you-drop shopping on the Champs Elyses... it's definitely a tantalizing picture, but what many are most impressed with in the French bid is its commitment to growing the game though the development of at least 100 urban golf facilities.  These facilities would bring golf to areas where the population currently has little access, namely in and around urban centers. They'd be open to all and would not only provide top notch instruction and formation for future professionals,  but would also be public venues where a casual golfers could play a casual round without stringent dress codes and with rented equipment. It sounds like a solid step towards increasing golf's accessibility.

It'll be a few weeks before we know which of the five contending nations will host the Ryder Cup in 2018. The competition is stiff and I don't envy the selection committee. If you get a chance, check out the various bids and I'd love to know which one you feel makes the best case as host city.

For the time being I'm sure "Raph" is relishing his recent win... and hoping the French bid prevails.

Photos (top to bottom): Stuart Franklin/Getty Images Europe***Golf Girl Media***Clive Mason/ALLSPORT***Ryder Cup France***Stuart Franklin/Getty Images Europe

Sources: RaphaelJacquelin.com***European Tour - Jacquelin The Man in Sicily***Golf 360 - A Ryder Cup in Paris?

Alstom Open de France & The French Ryder Cup Bid

No matter how old you are, repeatedly being told you're the oldest... anything... has got to get old pretty quickly.

By the time Miguel Angel Jimenez lifted the ornate silver trophy yesterday at Golf National, I'd guess he was already quite sick of hearing how he was the tournament's oldest winner. As you've probably heard, he won the Alstom Open de France... and as soon as he did everyone was talking about how at 46, he was the oldest ever to win this tournament. Not only that, he was the also the eighth oldest champion in European Tour history.

The colorful Spaniard isn't the type to take things to heart however, and quickly positioned his age as an asset... both for winning the French Open and for securing a place on Colin Montgomerie's Ryder Cup team. “Experience is always important,” said Jimenez post-playoff. “These two guys are playing very well. But, you know, the experience, also, is one of the keys. On 18, I hit my ball in the middle of the fairway and both of them missed the fairway. The win moved The Mechanic, who's had ten European Tour wins since he turned 40, into sixth place in the European Ryder Cup rankings.

Like MAJ, the Open de France ALSTOM has been around for a while. In fact, it's the oldest national open championship in continental Europe, dating back to 1906. In France's bid for the 2018 Ryder Cup, the country's golf history will be highlighted, along with the attributes of Le Golf National as a Ryder Cup venue. I attended the Open de France three years ago and was impressed with how quick and easy it was to get to the course from the center of Paris. I just hopped on a commuter train, and within 20 minutes I was in Versailles, from there it's just a 10 minute shuttle to Golf National. The course... as we saw yesterday... lends itself to the kind of dramatic finish that makes Ryder Cup competitions memorable.

The French will face stiff competition from Spain, Portugal, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. French golfer Thomas Levet, who played in the 2004 Ryder Cup and has five European Tour wins, was one of was one of those who worked on France's Ryder Cup bid and he feels it's very strong. He even indicated that the Chateau de Versailles might be the setting for some of the official functions. How romantic is that?

The winning bid will be announced next Spring, in the meantime, Follow the French bid on Facebook.

Photo: Getty Images by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images Europe