Bubba Watson's season ending prematurely due to finger surgery

Bubba Watson will be sidelined for the rest of the season after undergoing finger surgery, but he expects to be healthy in time for the start of LIV's next season in February.

Watson announced the news on social media Wednesday, citing a growth on his left ring finger that made playing golf painful and required him to withdraw from planned appearances in a number of International Series events on the Asian Tour.

"In recent weeks, I developed a small growth on my left ring finger that has been causing me pain and affecting my ability to grip a golf club the way I want," Watson said. "My doctors referred to it as a 'lesion' and recommended a minor procedure to have it removed, which I have done.

"Because of the location and depth of the cuts, which are around a joint, the procedure is expected to prevent me from playing golf for up to eight weeks while I recover and rehab my finger."

Watson, 46, serves as the captain of the RangeGoats team and finished 11th in the LIV individual standings this past season with two top-five finishes. It was a notable change for the two-time Masters champion from his 53rd-place finish (out of 57) during the 2024 season.