Green jackets aren’t supposed to come easy. Usually, Augusta National breaks you down until you're a nervous wreck standing over a three-footer on the 18th. But in April 2014, Bubba Watson basically turned the most prestigious golf course on the planet into his own personal playground. Again. It was his second win in three years, but the vibe was totally different from that hooked-wedge-shot-from-the-trees madness in 2012.
The 2014 Masters Tournament was a strange week.
Tiger Woods wasn't there. He’d just had back surgery, and the vacuum he left was massive. People were looking for the "next big thing," and for a few hours on Sunday, it looked like a 20-year-old kid named Jordan Spieth was going to become the youngest winner in history. He didn't. Bubba happened.
The Sunday Duel That Wasn't Really a Duel
Everyone remembers the front nine on Sunday. Spieth was electric. He had this look in his eyes—you know the one—where it feels like he’s never going to miss a putt again. By the time they reached the 7th hole, Spieth had a two-shot lead. The crowd was ready for the coronation.
Then things got wonky.
Spieth made a couple of bogeys. Bubba, being Bubba, started launching moonballs. He birdied 8 and 9. Just like that, a two-shot deficit turned into a two-shot lead. The momentum shift was so violent you could almost hear the air leave the gallery. Honestly, the 2014 Masters Tournament was won in that 30-minute window.
Watson’s length is a cheat code at Augusta. If you can carry the corner on 13, the hole becomes a joke. On Sunday, Bubba hit a drive so far on the 13th—a massive, high-arcing slice that somehow stayed in the air for an eternity—that he only had a wedge into the par-5 green. A wedge. Into a 510-yard hole. It’s hard to beat a guy who is playing a different course than everyone else.
The Jordan Spieth Learning Curve
We have to talk about Spieth here. Even though he lost, this was the tournament that proved he was a monster. He finished T-2 with Jonas Blixt. Yeah, remember Jonas Blixt? The Swede played incredibly steady golf, but because he doesn't hit it 340 yards, he was basically a footnote in the Watson-Spieth drama.
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Spieth admitted later that he got a bit ahead of himself. At 20, he was trying to force things on a course that punishes ego. He’d win the whole thing a year later, but 2014 was his "sophomore" lesson on the biggest stage. It’s funny looking back now; we thought he was the finished product, but he was still just a kid figuring out how to manage his adrenaline in the Amen Corner.
Augusta’s Teeth and the Scoring Reality
People say Augusta was "soft" that year, but the scores don't really back that up. Bubba finished at 8-under. That’s a very standard, "tough but fair" winning score for the Masters.
- Round 1: Bill Haas shot a 68 to lead.
- Round 2: Bubba went on a tear with five straight birdies, shooting 68 to take the lead.
- Round 3: A grinding 70 from Watson and Spieth set up the final pairing.
The middle of the pack was a graveyard of legends.
Fred Couples was 54 years old and somehow tied for the lead during the second round. Every year we think Freddie is going to do it, and every year his back or his putter says "no thanks" on Saturday afternoon. He eventually finished T-20. Still impressive, but it shows how the 2014 Masters Tournament teased the nostalgic fans before handing the trophy to the young power hitters.
The Miguel Ángel Jiménez Factor
Can we talk about the Mechanic? Miguel Ángel Jiménez finished solo fourth. At 50 years old. He was walking the fairways with his ponytail, smoking cigars, and stretching like a guy who just woke up from a nap. He shot a 66 on Saturday, which was the low round of the tournament.
It was a brilliant reminder that you don't have to be a long hitter to compete at the Masters, provided you have the short game of a god and the nerves of a hitman. Jiménez didn't have the horsepower to catch Bubba on Sunday, but he gave the fans exactly what they wanted.
Why This Win Solidified the "Bubba System"
There is no "correct" way to play golf, but Bubba Watson’s way is definitely the most stressful to watch. He doesn't have a coach. He doesn't look at data. He just sees a gap in the trees and tries to bend a ball through it.
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Winning the 2014 Masters Tournament proved that 2012 wasn't a fluke. It proved that his brand of creative, "shape it both ways" golf was actually the most effective way to dismantle Augusta National. He joined a list of only 17 men (at the time) to win multiple Green Jackets. Think about that. He has as many Masters titles as Ben Hogan and Tom Watson.
The critics always pointed to his temperament. Bubba gets frustrated. He talks to his caddie, Ted Scott, in a way that makes viewers cringe. But in 2014, he was remarkably composed. He played the back nine like a veteran, making pars when he needed to and not doing anything stupid.
The Quiet Collapse of the Favorites
While Bubba was cruising, the rest of the expected leaderboard was nowhere to be found.
Rory McIlroy was the betting favorite. He finished T-8, but he never really felt like he was in the mix. He had a disastrous second-round 77 that included a four-putt. That’s the thing about Rory and Augusta—it’s always one bad hour that ruins his week.
Adam Scott was the defending champ. He started okay but faded to a T-14 finish. The pressure of the Champions Dinner and the media obligations usually drains the defending winner, and Scott looked tired by Sunday.
Phil Mickelson? He missed the cut. Yeah. Lefty missed the cut at a place where he usually could finish top-10 in his sleep. It was the first time in 17 years he didn’t play the weekend at the Masters. It felt like a changing of the guard, or at least a temporary glitch in the matrix.
The Equipment and the Green Jacket
Bubba was using that iconic pink PING G25 driver. It’s basically a piece of folklore now. In a sport that is increasingly obsessed with launch monitors and "optimal" spin rates, Watson was just swinging as hard as he could and visualizing the flight.
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When he tapped in for par on 18, the celebration was more subdued than in 2012. He picked up his son, Caleb, and walked off the green. It felt like a man who finally felt he belonged in the upper echelon of the game.
Key Stats from the Week
- Winning Score: 280 (-8)
- Total Birdies for Watson: 15
- Longest Drive: Watson on 13 (approx. 366 yards)
- Field Average on Sunday: 73.9 (It was playing tough)
What We Learned From 2014
Looking back with over a decade of hindsight, the 2014 Masters Tournament was the bridge between the Tiger era and the modern "Power-Biometrics" era. It showed that length was becoming non-negotiable, but it also showed that Augusta still required a specific kind of artistic touch.
You can't just bludgeon this course into submission; you have to romance it a little bit. Bubba Watsons's ability to curve the ball 40 yards in the air is a lost art. Most modern players hit a "stock" shot. Bubba doesn't have a stock shot.
If you're looking to improve your own game based on what happened that week, don't try to swing like Bubba. You’ll blow out your back and break your wrist. Instead, look at how he managed the par 5s. He didn't always go for the hero shot; he just made sure he was always in a position where his length gave him an advantage.
Actionable Insights for Golf Fans and Players
To truly appreciate what happened in 2014, or to apply it to your own weekend rounds, keep these points in mind:
- Manage the "Big Miss": Bubba won because his misses were in places where he could still recover. At Augusta, you can miss long or short on certain holes, but never left or right. Map your own local course this way.
- The "Amen Corner" Psychology: Spieth lost it mentally before he lost it physically. If you have a blow-up hole, the next tee box is a reset button. Don't carry the bogey to the next drive.
- Short Game Longevity: Look at Miguel Ángel Jiménez. If you want to play competitive golf into your 50s and 60s, stop obsessing over your driver carry and start obsessing over your lag putting.
- Watch the Replays: The Masters official YouTube channel has the final round broadcast. Watch the 8th and 9th holes specifically to see how a momentum swing actually looks in real-time.
The 2014 Masters wasn't the most dramatic in history—nothing will beat 2019 or 1986—but it was perhaps the most "pure" display of shot-making we’ve seen in the modern era. It was the week Bubba Watson stopped being a "fluke" and started being a legend. No matter what you think of his personality or his pink driver, you have to respect the way he carved up the most famous course in the world.