RIO DE JANEIRO -- Bubba Watson so often is his own worst enemy. He fidgets and frets, to his own detriment. For a man so gifted at swinging a golf club, it can be maddeningly frustrating.
This week, Bubba is own best friend.
He has embraced the Olympic golf experience unlike just about anyone else in the men's field. Instead of bemoaning how it would impact his schedule in a crowded golf year, he never wavered on his desire to be in Rio.
And he has taken advantage of being at the Olympic Games in a way that is refreshing, trying to attend as many sporting events as possible, meeting other athletes, posing for photos, posting frequently on social media.
Even when Watson played relatively poorly in an opening-round 73 at the Olympic Golf Course, he remained upbeat.
And now, after a third-round 67 that has him in a tie for fourth and just 3 shots out of a place on the podium, he has a chance to earn an Olympic medal.
"It's absolutely amazing,'' Watson said. "What a privilege and honor that golf is in the Olympics and to be a part of this. Right or wrong, it's hard for me to focus on golf because of the fact that it's just a dream of a lifetime to be associated with these great athletes.''
Perhaps Bubba is onto something. He has played steadily better each day, overcame a bizarre stubbed putt on the 14th green, signed his card and couldn't wait to get back and watch ... badminton.
Playing for gold on Sunday will enter his mind that morning.
It'll take another strong effort, but the way Watson has improved each day while reveling in the experience has been something to behold.
For instance:
"We went to fencing first,'' Watson said in explaining how he has taken in the various Olympic events. "It was Russia against Estonia women's for (the) bronze medal. We didn't know. We just had tickets and we went and that's what was happening. And fencing was unbelievable.
"I always talked about learning how to fence, and so going to it was special. It was amazing watching these girls I'm going to say girls, I'm going to say I'm older than them. These girls, the athleticism to move around it, was just amazing. And they were screaming and hollering and I guess I would, too, if I won a bronze. It was amazing.''
That is just one example. Watson is like a kid in his Pensacola, Fla., candy store (Bubba's Sweet Spot), taking in the sights and sounds, watching the other athletes, getting to know who they are and appreciating what they have accomplished and what it means for them to be here.
He has been inquisitive, gotten involved, figuring maybe something will rub off.
Good Luck to @MikaelaMayer1 !! #USABoxing #GunShow pic.twitter.com/teGoo2dWAX
— bubba watson (@bubbawatson) August 13, 2016
"Just like any athlete, you ask questions and you learn from them,'' he said. "At dinner, we are asking how they train and what they do and how they prepare and what strategies they take in their event.
"That's what I'm taking in this week is just how amazing this is to be able to see sports that we've never seen, and golf just gets to tag along and say we're athletes now.''
Maybe that has rubbed off on his golf. Maybe Watson got a reality check by coming to Rio and realizing that he's got it pretty good, playing for millions of dollars every week, getting to travel on private jets, staying in five-star hotels.
That is not the reality for most Olympic athletes, certainly not the ones who toil in obscurity and aspire for greatness in sports that get little attention or publicity.
Watson has been known to think too much, complain too much. He gets frustrated when a golf course doesn't fit his eye, and lets it affect his play. At times, he mopes. Here, it seems, nothing can bother him.
A couple of back-nine bogeys put a damper on what was shaping up to be a great third round Saturday. One included a strange incident where mud dropped off the bottom of his putter in mid-stroke, distracting him. He tried to stop, and ended up hitting the ball only 6 feet -- when he was 35 feet from the hole. "It was one of those freak things,'' he said. "That'll be talked about for years.''
But Bubba persevered.
"Even with all the stuff going on this week, even if you're sitting in your room watching the other events on TV, you're so focused on what an unbelievable experience this, you're not going to focus on golf that much off the course,'' Watson said. "When you come back tomorrow, you'll start thinking about it. But when you're at your house or around eating in the cafeteria, there's definitely no thoughts going through my head.''
That strategy might not play at Augusta National or St. Andrews or even in a few weeks at The Barclays or the Tour Championship. And it certainly won't be a good idea at the Ryder Cup, where time constraints all but negate any ability to relax and enjoy.
Watson acknowledged that at a tournament like the Masters, he grinds. The golf course is so difficult, it requires that kind of concentration. And yet, there is something to consider going forward.
"This is a dream of a lifetime, golf just gets in my way,'' he said. "I'm taking it all in and learning. It shows how lucky and blessed golfers are. It's my profession and income and it's beyond belief. We should never be disgruntled about anything that happens in our life.''
Who would have thought Bubba Watson would become such a great ambassador for golf in the Olympics?
