Watson Panic Attacks; Champion Golfer Says, 'I thought something was wrong with me'
Golfer Bubba Watson revealed that he has suffered from three serious panic attacks over the past few years.
The 34-year-old professional golfer conducted an interview with Golf Magazine on Wednesday while preparing to play at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
"Three times I've had issues where I thought something was wrong with me," Watson said. "It wasn't anything I was doing at the time. The first time I was sleeping. I wasn't really sleeping very well. It was '07, I think. It was the middle of the night at home, I woke up and we went to the hospital. One time, in '09, I was sitting watching TV at home."
Watson said that his last panic attack was in Los Angeles at the 2011 Northern Trust Open, when he withdrew after the first-round.
"I was at the golf course, and it wasn't my heart-the other two times I thought it was my heart," he said about the 2011 health scare. "The third time it was something down my leg."
Watson explained that he did all he could and listened to the counsel from his doctors.
"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."
Watson stated that he was eventually diagnosed with acid reflux, a result of poor eating habits, but that he still suffers from anxiety.
The golfer said that he tries to keep himself calm as much as possible but that he has a few fears such as enclosed spaces and crowds which tend to make him anxious.
Watson took home the top honor of the green jacket for winning the 2012 Masters and hopes to have repeated success this year.
The 2013 PGA tour season for Watson started at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions on Thursday at Kapalua in Hawaii.
