Golfer Bubba Watson Reveals Struggle With Panic Attacks And Anxiety

In November, fellow golfer Charlie Beijan suffered a mysterious illness during the Children’s Miracle Network Hoptials Classic on the PGA Tour, ultimately spending a night hooked up to machines and undergoing tests. After it was revealed that he suffered a panic attack, Beijan went on to win the event.

When Watson was asked about Beijan’s panic attack, the Master’s champ revealed that he, too, suffered from panic attacks and anxiety. 

"I've had plenty of panic attacks," Watson said Thursday at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua in Hawaii, according to reports from Yahoo. "I actually went to the hospital three times, thinking I was having something wrong with my heart, and my wife is like, 'What is wrong with you?'

"So I've had some issues, and I did some tests and a whole bunch of things where I had some issues."

Watson said that each time the doctors tested him, they found no physical cause for his panic attacks. Instead, his doctor prescribed him medication for his anxiety. 

"I've done everything," he said. "I've done EKGs, we've done tests, all kind of things. [The doctor] told me, basically, I need medicine. I need medicine that calms me down."

Unlike Beijan, however, Watson told reporters that he suffered his panic attacks off the golf course. 

“On the golf course, I’m kind of in my comfort zone,” he said. “Doesn’t look like it, but I am.”

As for Beijan, the golfer told USA Today Sports that his anxiety problem was being handled well.

“I got myself into better shape, and I’m feeling healthier,” he said. "I'm a little more flexible and I'm in better condition. I wasn't one to eat on the golf course, and I think that had something to do with the attacks. I have to give fuel to my body, so I'll be eating on the course this year, drinking a lot of vitamin water, too."