What started as Angie Watson watching a random pickup basketball game at the University of Georgia would lead her to meeting her husband. Bubba Watson, who was playing in the game, would eventually ask Angie out on a date, and the rest is history. The couple has moved on to start a family by adopting two children.
In addition to being advocates for adoption, Angie and Bubba are also both passionate about their Christian faith. Bubba spoke about his outlook on life in an interview with God Reports.
“[Rapper] Lecrae said it the best,” Bubba told God Reports. “He doesn’t want to be a celebrity. He doesn’t want to be a superstar. He just wants to be the middle man for you to see God through him.”
Learn more about Bubba, Angie and their journey towards adoption.
1. Bubba’s Wife, Angie, Convinced Him Not to Quit Golf
Bubba hit a low spot in 2017 after failing to find success on the golf course. He also was involved with a few new business ventures including a candy store, Bubba’s Sweet Spot, and his ownership of minor league baseball’s Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Bubba spoke with The Sun about his wife’s impact on his decision to push through.
“I was planning to take four months off to decide what to do next because I’ve got into a lot of new stuff in the last couple of years,” Bubba explained to The Sun. “So we would have had something new to do. But Angie basically told me to stop whining and man up. She’s a lot tougher than I am. I get a paper cut and I’m out for a week or so. But she wasn’t going to let me sit around looking for pity.”
2. The Couple Has 2 Adopted Children: Caleb & Dakota
When Angie and Bubba were first dating, the topic of children came up, and Angie admtited her chances to get pregnant were very low. Bubba responded by pointing out they could always adpot a child.
“[It’s] so cool to adopt, so cool to give a child a good home,” Bubba told Angie (via PGA Tour.com).
Years later, the couple went through the extensive application process. In 2012, they got a call asking if they wanted to adopt. Six days later they went to pick up Caleb.
“I went and spent Saturday morning, three hours, I had two people or two girls from Babies ‘R Us just helping me pick out everything that I needed, everything I need to just last for first three weeks, get me through the first three weeks because I think we’ll be able to go home at that point,” Angie told PGATour.com. “I probably bought two of everything and Bubba gets finished with his round on Saturday, I pulled into the player parking lot with a car full of baby stuff. … I was so overwhelmed, didn’t even know how to work half the stuff that I got.”
The couple adopted Dakota in November 2014.
3. The Couple Have Semi-Open Adoptions Meaning They Stay in Contact With the Birth Mothers
GettyBubba and Angie Watson at the Masters Par 3 Contest.
Angie and Bubba stay in contact with the birth mothers as part of the semi-open adoption process. Angie sends occasional emails and photos as the children grow older.
“After Dakota came along I actually said I want to get Caleb’s birth mom a cell phone to let her know how great we’re doing and how much we appreciate her and love her and what she did for us,” Angie told PGATour.com. “It’s made our relationship a lot more open and I think it’s helped everybody heal a lot more that they made the right decision for these babies.”
Bubba noted that even though both children are adopted, it does not feel any different than if the couple had given birth.
“It’s like he [Caleb] was created for us, and now Dakota, the same thing,” Bubba told PGATour.com. “Now, she’s 19 months old, and he’s 4 years old. It just seems like they were our kids. We don’t see them as adopted, we just see them as our kids. We’re getting close to that age where we’re going to have to start explaining, but yeah, it’s been so fun and so joyous that golf tournaments and being on Tour doesn’t even compare to being a parent, as most parents would know.”
4. Bubba & Angie Met During a Pick-up Basketball Game at the University of Georgia
The couple met at the University of Georgia, but not in the way you may think. According to PGATour.com, Angie was in Athens to rehab her knee after playing a season for the Charlotte Sting. She was watching her friends play in a pick-up basketball game, and Bubba happened to be playing in the game.
Someone crashed into Angie diving for a loose ball, and a group of people came over to check on her. Bubba was one of the people, and the two later struck up a conversation as Angie practiced her free throws. A week later, they played golf and ate pizza together. There’s some debate as to whether that counted as a date.
“Apparently, that [golf] can’t be a first date for a golfer,” Angie told PGATour.com.
The couple went out for dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse for their first “formal” date a few days later.
5. Angie Played Pro Basketball in the WNBA & in Several European Leagues
Angie played both forward and center at the University of Georgia from 1997 to 2000. Angie was part of teams that reached the 1999 Final Four and 2000 SEC Championship. According to the University of Georgia, Angie also had an internship with Athens-Clarke County leisure services where she helped in setting up basketball clinics for girls.
The couple had a long-distance relationship for three years as Bubba played on the PGA Tour, and she played basketball professionally in Italy and France. Angie got to fulfill her dream of playing in the WNBA for the Charlotte Sting, but injuries prevented her from playing most of her one season. She ended up retiring, and helping Bubba manage the business side of things for the first few years of their marriage.
“It’s just really, really hard to go there and play basketball for such little money …,” Angie told PGATour.com. “And he’d be back here trying to reach his goals and then we’d be trying to meet somewhere in an airport to say hello for five minutes.”
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Bubba Watson’s Wife & Kids: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know