Watson concerned after late-night car chase

DUBLIN, OHIO (AP) - As perhaps the hottest name in golf these days, Bubba Watson is trying to keep his public and private lives separate.

But the two may have intertwined _ no one knows for sure _ in a curious incident earlier this week while the Masters champion and his family were in the Columbus, Ohio, area for the Memorial Tournament.

He hosted a Christian music concert at a downtown venue Tuesday night. He was with his wife, Angie, as they headed to their rental home.

“A car chased me,” he said after a 74 in Friday’s second round at the Memorial. “Angie was driving. She had to pull over. I switched to driving so I could drive through someone’s yard if I had to. But we had to drive away from our house, the house we rented. We drove for 37 minutes.”

Watson called his caddie, Ted Scott, hoping that Scott could intercept the pursuing car.

“Teddy was trying to find me in his car so he could block him,” said Watson, who along with his wife recently adopted a child. “When you start dealing with that, when you have the kid with you, it’s not a good situation.”

The Watsons kept driving and driving, watching the headlights in their rearview mirror, until finally the danger passed.

“We kept driving around and they finally gave up,” Watson said. “I was going to keep driving until we felt safe again. That’s the first time that’s ever happened.”

Watson said earlier in the week he and his wife have been trying to buy a house in the exclusive Isleworth community in Orlando, Fla. Among many other advantages, it’s a gated community with good security. Among other celebrities who have lived in Isleworth are golfers Tiger Woods, Mark O'Meara and 2011 British Open champion Darren Clarke, along with baseball star Ken Griffey Jr., and actor Wesley Snipes.

“Isleworth is a beautiful place. I don’t have to leave the gates. Security is a big key there,” said Watson, who previously lived in Arizona. “We want to be in a secure area. We wanted to be where we can be a family, I can play golf, ride the cart around.”

Such is the life of a Masters champion named Bubba.

“It’s been interesting,” he said after missing the cut, giving him more time to look for a house. “That’s why Isleworth is going to be good for us.”

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DISCONNECTED CALLS: There was still a lot of buzz about Phil Mickelson’s withdrawal after shooting a 79 in Thursday’s first round. His playing partners, Watson and Rickie Fowler, both contended that part of the reason Mickelson pulled out was because of the continual distraction of fans clicking their cellphone cameras during Mickelson’s swings.

The PGA Tour permits fans to bring cellphones onto the course, but they must be silent or on vibrate and can only be used to make or take calls in specified areas.

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