Bill Text: FL S1752 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Bubba Watson
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-04-25 - Adopted, companion bill(s) passed, see HR 9127 (Adopted) [S1752 Detail]
Download: Florida-2014-S1752-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2014 (NP) SR 1752
By Senator Evers
2-04245A-14 20141752__
1 Senate Resolution
2 A resolution congratulating Florida’s own Bubba Watson
3 on his 2014 Masters Tournament win.
4
5 WHEREAS, Bubba Watson grew up in the Panhandle community of
6 Bagdad and was introduced to the links at the age of 6, when his
7 father, Gerry, took him to an area golf course, and
8 WHEREAS, Bubba Watson was tenacious in pursuing his passion
9 for the sport, hitting whiffle balls in his yard for hours on
10 end instead of roughhousing with friends, and
11 WHEREAS, after graduating from Milton High School and
12 without any formal training, Bubba Watson made an impressive
13 showing as an amateur golfer, being named first-team junior
14 college All-American while playing for Faulkner State Community
15 College, and
16 WHEREAS, after transferring from Faulkner State to the
17 University of Georgia, Bubba Watson helped the Bulldogs clinch
18 the 2000 Southeastern Conference title, and
19 WHEREAS, Bubba Watson turned professional in 2003 and
20 joined the Nationwide Tour, where he played until 2005, and
21 WHEREAS, Bubba Watson finished 21st on the tour’s money
22 list in 2005, making him the last player to qualify for the
23 following year’s PGA Tour, and
24 WHEREAS, in 2006, his rookie year with the PGA Tour, Bubba
25 Watson earned more than $1 million, placing 90th overall, and
26 led the tour in driving distance with 442 yards, and
27 WHEREAS, in 2010, Bubba Watson claimed his first PGA Tour
28 win at the Travelers Championship on the second hole of a
29 sudden-death playoff, and
30 WHEREAS, as is characteristic of Bubba Watson’s generosity
31 of spirit and love of family, he dedicated the win to his
32 father, who was battling cancer and died later that year, and
33 WHEREAS, in 2011, Bubba Watson took two PGA Tour titles,
34 besting Phil Mickelson and Webb Simpson, and
35 WHEREAS, in 2012, Bubba Watson won his first major
36 championship at the Masters Tournament, where he executed a
37 miraculous recovery shot from deep in the woods on pine straw in
38 a sudden-death playoff round against Louis Oosthuizen, and
39 WHEREAS, his first Masters Tournament title propelled Bubba
40 Watson to a career-high 4th place in the Official World Golf
41 Ranking, but that victory was followed by a difficult year on
42 the PGA Tour that saw him finish with one win, six top-5
43 finishes, seven top-10 finishes, and three missed cuts, and
44 WHEREAS, on April 13, 2014, Bubba Watson won the 2014
45 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club by three shots
46 with a score of -8, defeating Jordan Spieth and Jonas Blixt, and
47 WHEREAS, with his 2014 Masters Tournament win, Bubba Watson
48 vaulted again to number four in the Official World Golf Ranking,
49 joining the exclusive company of golfing greats like Jack
50 Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Phil Mickelson, who also earned two
51 masters titles in a 3-year period, and
52 WHEREAS, Bubba Watson’s accomplishments on the PGA Tour are
53 well-known, but he also devotes much of his time and money to
54 charity and is a committed Christian who speaks openly about the
55 importance of faith in his life, NOW, THEREFORE,
56
57 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
58
59 That Florida’s own Bubba Watson is recognized for his
60 outstanding play on the PGA Tour and his 2014 Masters Tournament
61 win, and
62 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be
63 presented to Bubba Watson as a token of the sentiments expressed
64 herein.
