MARANA, Ariz. – Three weeks ago, they reprised their singing roles as half the Golf Boys’ tandem, serenading the wild bunch of fans around the Waste Management Phoenix Open’s 16th hole.
Ben Crane and Bubba Watson are back together again this week, but just one of them will be singing the blues at day’s end. They meet each other in the first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
“We’ll both be trying to beat each other, but however it turns out, at the end of the day, we’re good buddies,” Crane said.
Even their wives and caddies are friends.
Joel Stock, Crane’s caddie, and Ted Scott, Watson’s caddie, are sharing a hotel room this week. They have a friendly wager between them.
“The winner of the match pays for the room,” Crane said.
Crane and Watson play completely different styles; Crane the precision tactician, Watson the bomber. Watson leads the PGA Tour in driving distance (315 yards per drive) with Crane 127th (285 per drive). Notably, Crane has seven eagles this year, second most on Tour and more than twice as many as Watson (3), so far.
