SAN FRANCISCO — Bubba Watson’s opponent was eyeballing a three-foot par putt on Wednesday, and Watson was eyeballing his caddie, Ted Scott. It was the opening day of the World Golf Championships match-play event at Harding Park and Watson, unsure if he should concede the putt to Miguel Ángel Jiménez, asked Scott for his opinion.
The distance, Scott noted, was longer than the length of the grip of Watson’s putter. In addition, it was downhill, which made it tricky. So Scott invoked what he calls “the friends rule” and advised Watson to make Jiménez putt out. Watson did as Scott suggested, Jiménez missed his attempt, and five holes later, Watson closed out the match.