Webb Convinced Captain Watson Via Text, 4 a.m. Chat

As Bubba Watson and his exclusive babysitter Webb Simpson lead off for Team USA at the Ryder Cup's opening fourballs, James Riach reveals in The Guardian that it was an early morning (4 am) text message back-and-forth that convinced Captain Tom Watson to select Simpson.

Riach writes:

Simpson, who will partner Bubba Watson on Friday in the opening fourballs, had not heard from Watson until the night before his final selection, but lying in a hotel bed unable to sleep he texted the American captain and outlined his desperation to make the team.

“I couldn’t really sleep. I can’t ever sleep after the final round of tournaments in general and I was laying there and I thought, I had not heard from him,” Simpson said. “I probably would have heard from him by now and I’ve got nothing to lose. So I texted him, something like: ‘I know it’s a really tough decision for you, I know Chris just won and I know Bill is playing good and you even have other options than that. But I really, really, really want to be on the team and I really want to represent the United States.’

“He texted real quick – I saw the three little dots on the iPhone and I was surprised he was awake – and said: ‘This is a tough decision, Webb.’ That’s all he said. I was like, I didn’t make the team. He’s going to call me and I didn’t make the team but then he called me 30 minutes later and he asked me why I thought he should put me on the team. And at 4.30 in the morning it’s a tough question to be asked.”

Asked what he replied, Simpson said: “I made my final plea, I told him I want revenge for what happened in 2012 and I really want to be on that team. He decided, whatever I said, maybe it was nothing I said, but he picked me.

“Maybe it was my passion to play and desire to be on the team and my push for him to pick me but I don’t know what he was thinking. Keegan [Bradley] told me he thought it was a good thing I texted him to show him because I didn’t have a lot of interaction with the captain in terms of texting and phone calls throughout the year.”