Self-taught, highly visual, and unusually adept at working the ball both ways, Watson was used to making such magic. The shot – which seemingly hooked at a right angle to the green, setting up his eventual victory – didn’t bother him. Remember when Watson won the 2012 Masters by hooking a wedge shot out of the trees at the 10th hole? As he ventured outside the gallery ropes his main stressor was not how he would win the playoff but his close proximity to the patrons. The condition has proven especially challenging for an elite athlete who performs in front of the world. Watson suffers from social and generalized anxiety – he has trouble in large crowds and feels self-conscious and judged in social settings. Mental health has often taken a back seat in life, but those who suffer from anxiety disorders can tell you it’s always front-of-mind.
There's ups and downs to life, no matter if you're a TOUR golfer or a person that nobody ever sees. I’m a man with issues just like everybody else.
“I don’t need to hide that I’m a man who sometimes cries. “Now I’m at a point where I can say let's just talk about it,” he continues. It hurt when people would write things about me without knowing me. One of the many problems was I held things in for so long that it hurt me. The big thing for me now is I’m accepting it more. “In the past there were times I've slipped up and people have blasted me… people have made fun of me,” says Watson, who will play in a threesome with Dustin Johnson and defending champion Adam Scott at Riviera Country Club on Thursday and Friday. To try to understand Watson is to try to understand both conditions. His exhibited behavior was not new for the three-time Genesis Invitational winner – in fact it was textbook for someone with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and/or anxiety issues. Being misunderstood has plagued Watson his entire life, and this scene provided clues as to why.
His excitement could have been just PR spin. To the casual observer, the shifting, twitchy Watson could have come off as dismissive or even arrogant. Then his energy lifted to almost comic proportions, words spilling from his mouth with fervor as – even if only briefly – he looked you in the eye with vitality.
He had just become a major investor, and now he shuffled back and forth and spoke quickly, and with limited eye contact. “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” – Dr Seussīubba Watson stood on the first tee at Torrey Pines last month doing socially distant interviews about Linksoul, the lifestyle clothing brand. Editor's Note: This article was originally published February 16th, 2021.
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