Bubba Watson apologized Friday, two days after saying the only reason he was playing in this week's Phoenix Open is because of his sponsors.
Watson, who has earned more than $1 million while finishing runner-up in the event the past two years, said it's the TPC Scottsdale course and its recent redesign that he doesn't like. He's a fan of everything else about the most-attended tournament on the PGA Tour.
"I have to apologize," Watson said after shooting a 2-under 69 in Friday's second round. "I used the wrong words. I have nothing against the fans and the tournament. The fans have been great. I love coming here. I've lived here for every winter for eight years. This is a beautiful place. The reason I'm here is because of the excitement around this golf tournament. The fans have been great.
"I used words that I shouldn't have used. I didn't explain myself well. My wife says that too when I go home; I don't communicate very well."
The rowdy fans at TPC Scottsdale's par-3, 16th gave Watson a piece of their collective mind Thursday. As Watson stood over his ball before his tee shot, fans rained down boos. Undeterred, Watson stuck his tee shot to a dozen feet.
Ultimately, he converted the birdie putt for a 2 on the hole and received applause from the greenside fans.
The scene was much different Friday when Watson three-putted for bogey, prompting the crowd to cheer raucously as the PGA Tour live stream clearly picked up a string of heckles as he left the hole.
Good pay scale
The NFL and its referees couldn't agree on the terms of their collective bargaining agreement bringing about the lockout in 2012. After controversy over bad calls by the scab referees, the NFL succumbed to the referees' pressure and came to an agreement that left the striped shirts doing pretty well for themselves.
The average NFL referee salary was $173,000 in 2013, and it is set to rise to $201,000 by 2019. For most NFL referees, refereeing is not their only job.
Bonuses for officiating in the postseason appear to be under wraps. A source said referees made $11,900 for the Super Bowl in 2001 and probably averaged around $50,000 for the regular season back then. They'd make perhaps as much as $40,000 today if the bonus-to-salary proportions remain roughly the same.
Abnormal break?
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb was carted off the field during their playoff loss to the Arizona Cardinals because of a punctured lung he believes may have been a result of him wearing a microphone.
"It was really abnormal what happened," Cobb told Wisconsin-based sports talk show host Bill Michaels. "I punctured a lung. I didn't break a rib, and I didn't fracture a rib. It's really abnormal for that to happen.
"But I was mic'd up for the game. I landed flush on my back. The battery pack was on my shoulder pads, and I landed flush on my back, and we think that possibly could be it but there's no way of proving it."
Cobb suffered the injury when he fell hard on his back attempting to haul in a pass in the Packers' 26-20 overtime defeat to the Cardinals in the NFC divisional round.
QUIZ
When did the Green Bay Packers draft Randall Cobb in 2012?
ANSWER
The Packers drafted Cobb in the second round with the 64th overall pick.
Sports on 02/06/2016