Bubba Watson complains about mud in Paradise at Hero World Challenge

Everyone knows Bubba Watson’s inner Wicked Witch of the West comes out when droplets of rain get between his club face and the ball. So, it should come as no surprise that a clod of damp sod stuck to his ball makes the two-time Masters champ go all kvetchy.

It wasn’t just the superb conditions in Paradise at Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge that got under Bubba’s thin skin. It was his office for the week, featuring minuscule putting surfaces at this Bahamas track.

“This course is better than I am, but today showed how I beat it,” said Watson, who agreed to torture himself in the elite 18-player field at Albany Golf Course when Jason Day withdrew to spend more time with his family and watch the Packers stun the Lions on the last play of Thursday night’s game in Detroit.

“Yesterday when I played it for the first time, the wind was a little different direction,” Watson told reporters after opening with a 5-under 67. “I told [caddie] Teddy ... ‘I don’t know if I can play this course. It’s really, really hard.’”

And those putting surfaces, man!

“These are the smallest greens I’ve ever played,” Watson continued. “Obviously I’m a good player, so I can score on certain days, but for me personally it’s a very difficult little golf course.”

Not so tough that Bubba couldn’t find his way to an eagle, seven birdies, two bogeys and a double on day one in the Bahamas.

With all that, Watson somehow managed to find himself entering Friday’s second round in a three-way tie for second with defending champ Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka -- one shot back of the trio of frontrunners, Jimmy Walker, Zach Johnson and Paul Casey.