Watson puts family first as The Players looming

The USPGA Tour like to call it the ‘Fifth Major’ and with a prize fund of $9.5m (€7.3m) and the presence of nine of the top 10 in the world rankings, the 39th Tournament Players Championship at Sawgrass looks like living up to expectations.

The odd man out of that top 10 is Masters champion Bubba Watson, who is staying home with his wife and newly adopted two-month-old son.

He explained: “I need to spend more time with Caleb and Angie and plan to take a month off. The Players is one of the best weeks of the year but bonding with my son and wife is what it is all about now. Sorry to disappoint the fans but The Players has one of the best fields all year, the tourney is more than fine without me.”