Bubba Watson fails to win Indonesian Masters with LIV Golf spot still in jeopardy

Bubba Watson recently competed at the Asian Tour's Indonesian Masters and finished tied for 13th at the tournament. The seventh tournament of the Asian Tour's International Series was held at Royale Jakarta Golf Club in Jakarta, Indonesia from October 31 to November 3.

Watson finished 53rd in the LIV Golf individual standings for the 2024 season and is one of the five players to be relegated from the LIV Golf after this year. He can earn his way back to LIV Golf by finishing on the top of the International Series rankings.

At the Indonesia Masters, Watson scored 70 and 67 in the first two rounds of the tournament. He was positioned third after he scored 65 in the third round. However, following an underwhelming fourth round where he carded 72, Watson had to settle at T13.

Richard T. Lee won the tournament by four strokes over Chang Wei-lun and Phachara Khongwatmai. After winning the tournament, he said (via LIV Golf):

"I did feel pressure. I haven't been in last group for a while and playing with two-time Masters (champion) Bubba Watson also added to it. When I doubled 16, I told myself to pull things together and finish well," Lee said.

Watson is currently positioned 110th in the International Series rankings. With three events left in the International Series, it'll be a steep climb for Watson to emerge at the top of the rankings and regain his LIV spot. He currently has only 27 points, while John Catlin, who is leading the International Series Rankings, has 900 points.

The remaining three tournaments in the Asian Tour's International Series are as follows:

• LINK Hong Kong Open: Nov. 21-24 at Hong Kong Golf Club, Hong Kong, China.
• International Series Qatar: Nov. 27-30 at Doha Golf Club, Qatar.
• PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisors: Dec. 4-7 at Riyadh Golf Club, Saudi Arabia.

Other than Bubba Watson, several other LIV Golfers competed at the 2024 BNI Indonesian Masters. Kieran Vincent finished fourth while LIV Golf reserve player John Catlin tied for sixth.

Lee, who finished 38th in the LIV Golf standings for the 2024 season, tied for 13th at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club in Jakarta, Indonesia. Scott Vincent tied for 20th while Richard Bland tied for 57th.

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Bubba Watson acknowledged having a "tough year" and expressed intentions to play

Bubba Watson has had a rough 2024 LIV Golf season. In 13 starts, he has failed to register a single top-10 finish, with his best finish being a T15 at LIV Golf Las Vegas.

Last year, Watson had expressed his desire to remain in the team until they felt it was time to replace him (as quoted by Mirror Sports):

"I am going to play until they kick me out. I love helping the young guys. They are all trying to be better and also better at golf. I get to influence three golfers in life, they are all parents and young dads. I want to be there for them and if they have a problem, I want to be able to help them."

Bubba Watson is the captain of RangeGoats GC. In 2023, LIV Golf captains were exempt from relegation. However, this year, LIV Golf announced that captains will not be exempted from relegation.

Reflecting on a 'tough year' after being relegated in Chicago in September, Watson said:

"It’s been a tough year. But I think my teammates want me back and I’d like to be back. I know some discussions need to take place and there’s some business considerations. We have one of the most popular teams. Am I part of that? I think I am and I’m committed to playing better."

Bubba Watson has 15 professional wins to his name with 12 of them on the PGA Tour. He has won two Major championships including the 2012 and 2014 Masters tournaments. He joined LIV Golf in 2022 and finished 36th in the individual standings last year while his team RangeGoats GC finished fourth.