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ALL golf is looking forward to another walk on the wild side with Bubba Watson in New Orleans this week. Superstardom seems as ridiculously easy for Watson as that mind-bending hook out of the trees which won him the Masters.
You've got to love a guy who says an excited "Hey bud" when he takes a phone call from the US President. Or creases up David Letterman with his instant, one-word response when asked to sum up his golf game. "Awesome," replied Watson with a shrug and a smile.
Days after Augusta, Ian Poulter wondered on Twitter if Watson ever takes off that famous Green Jacket? "Only to shower!"
Bubba (33), from the small town of Bagdad, Florida, is so endearingly instinctive it's possible almost to forgive and forget the oafish behaviour which blighted his visit to Paris for last summer's French Open.
It's going to be fascinating to see how well Bubba wears his reputation as golf's great entertainer when he gets down to the business of defending his Zurich New Orleans Open title on Thursday.
Watson has long had the eye of an artist, reading curves into seemingly straight-forward shots, and the hands to make them work. This gift supposedly has arisen from a lifelong battle with Attention Deficit Disorder, which makes it difficult for him to concentrate for five hours during a round. So he constantly challenges himself by making the mundane as complicated and interesting as possible.
As Masters champion, Watson now faces an interesting dilemma. Will he be lured into performing for the crowd or can he simply get back to playing for himself?
This is a variation on a theme endured by every new Major winner. The pressure of living up to their new status often inhibits the game which got them there in the first place.
Evidence Graeme McDowell's slump in the first nine months of 2011 and Darren Clarke's zombie-like "same-old, same-old" machinations on the world stage since last July's Open.
McDowell is "over all that now", an assertion supported by recent form, including his second place at Bay Hill and a rousing weekend surge into 12th at the Masters, despite a natural "aversion" to Augusta.
Apart from the recent quality of his golf, the Portrush man has also been making a significant impact on the American media scene.
For example, a TV documentary 'Being Graeme McDowell', made by the Golf Channel last summer, won a gold medal at the 2012 New York Festival's International TV and Film Awards.
McDowell is refreshingly frank and forthright in a sport so obsessively discreet.
He ranks with Greg Norman, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and, of course, Bubba among those interviewed by David Feherty for his hit show, and last Friday co-hosted the two-hour 'Morning Drive' programme on the Golf Channel.
On that occasion, McDowell was typically honest in his assessment of Rory McIlroy's performance over the weekend at Augusta -- they played together in the final round, when his 68 contrasted starkly with the lacklustre 76 which sent his pal spiralling further down the leaderboard.
"I really felt like Rory had got to the end of a 12-month journey," explained McDowell. "Yes, that journey had taken him some great places, Congressional, winning multiple times around the globe, getting to world No 1. But it was different at Augusta. There's no doubt, Sunday at Augusta in 2011 had left a mark on Rory, and on Friday night at the Masters, maybe he felt he was on the verge of exorcising some demons.
"I really think the wind just left his sails in Saturday's round with Sergio (Garcia). He realised his 12-month journey had come to an end.
"On Sunday, I felt from the off that Rory really wasn't up for the day and just wanted to get himself out of the state of Georgia.
"When the wind leaves your sails like that, it's tough to play well. You just want to hit the reset button and get back to business elsewhere."
Playing with Garcia might have "dragged Rory down" during Saturday's ill-starred 77, said McDowell: "The fact they both played badly never helps... two good pals, even having a bit of a man-grab together on the 12th green, was all a little bit too fun for Saturday afternoon at a Major.
"Perhaps if there had been more of an edge to it -- had Rory gone out there with someone he didn't know so well, he might not have kind of got dragged down."
McDowell and Luke Donald play in New Orleans this week. Inevitably, Bubba will be centre stage, but G-Mac is steadily evolving into an icon for the thinking fan.
