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PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT

George Zimmerman's Lawyers Back Out; Santorum Suspends Campaign; Romney Versus Obama; The Bubba Watson Interview

Aired April 10, 2012 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


PIES MORGAN ,CNN HOST: Tonight Trayvon blockbuster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRAIG SONNER, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN'S FORMER ATTORNEY: As of now, we're withdrawing as counsel for Mr. Zimmerman. We've lost contact with him. He has gone on his own. I'm don't -- not sure what he's doing or who he's talking to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Why George Zimmerman's legal team sensationally quit his case and what happens now. I'll talk to Trayvon's parents.

It's the end of the race for Rick Santorum.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK SANTORUM (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: While this presidential race for us is over, for me, and we will suspend our campaign effective today, we are not done fighting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Now the real gloves are off. How will a Obama-Romney race shape up?

And the man of the moment. My primetime exclusive with Masters champion Bubba Watson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: What goes through a golfer's mind when you're -- when you're six inches away? Other than don't (INAUDIBLE) --

BUBBA WATSON, GOLF CHAMPION: Right. Exactly. I was going to be famous for one --either missing or making it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: And "Only in America," Morgan versus Watson. Game on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Finally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: This is PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT.

Good evening. Our "Big Story" tonight breaking news in the Trayvon Martin case. The special prosecutor has just said she's prepared to release new information and hold a news conference within 72 hours.

Also today, shooter George Zimmerman's lawyers said they've lost contact with him and are dropping his case. Could an arrest be coming soon? In just a moment I'll talk to Trayvon Martin's parents.

Plus my primetime exclusive with Masters champion Bubba Watson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Can you quite believe you're in the green jacket on CNN, you know, talking to the world about being Masters champion?

WATSON: Talking to my favorite person.

MORGAN: Obviously. Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

WATSON: Yes. Obviously.

MORGAN: But can you believe it?

WATSON: No. It's a dream -- it's a dream. Like I said before, it's a dream that I've never completed. It's a dream that I've never finished. To be here is -- I guess now it's a dream come true. It's like heaven on earth. I mean it's just -- it's just a wild ride and hopefully this ride keeps going because it's fun right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Bubba Watson. A really uplifting and emotional interview with the new Masters champion.

But we begin tonight with our "Big Story" the Trayvon Martin case. Joining me now for primetime exclusive, Trayvon's parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, and their attorney Ben Crump.

Welcome to you all. Another, I would imagine, very difficult day for you. Every day is bringing new twists and turns to this. What do you make -- and let me start with you, Sybrina, perhaps. What do you make of the events today? The lawyers now apparently turning their backs on George Zimmerman, revealing as they did so that they don't really know where he is or what his state of mind is.

SYBRINA FULTON, TRAYVON MARTIN'S MOTHER: That concerns us a great deal as parents that they don't know where he is. They should be close to him and in close contact with him and able to have communication. So it does bother us to know that they don't know where he is.

MORGAN: I mean, Tracy, we're being told that Angela Corey who is the state attorney there is preparing a news conference imminently in the next two or three days. Do you get a fear, though, a sense of anxiety that this is all getting out of control? And that someone needs to take control of George Zimmerman in particular very quickly?

TRACY MARTIN, TRAYVON MARTIN'S FATHER: Yes. He definitely need to be contained. I think he needs to be in reach for his lawyers not to know where he at, that doesn't sit well with us. But for Miss Corey to come out and say that she's going -- she's going to make a decision in 72 hours, takes a little pressure off. It's definitely a lot of tension building up. And we're just hoping for within the next 72 hours that the correct decision is made.

MORGAN: Ben Crump, I mean, it's not necessarily going to be an announcement of any decision actually about an arrest. We don't know that yet. But are you encouraged by Angela Corey's statement just now?

BENJAMIN CRUMP, MARTIN FAMILY ATTORNEY: We're encouraged, Piers. However, we do have a lot of anxiety over the simple fact that nobody knows where the killer the of Trayvon Martin is. That he is unaccounted for. That is a major concern because if the charges come, like we believe and think rightfully should come from the special prosecutor, then the question is can they get him to be hold him accountable? Will he escape justice by fleeing? He is a flight risk right now and we are concerned about that.

MORGAN: And Sybrina, some strange erratic behavior by George Zimmerman through a Web site. Yesterday I revealed some of this on the show in which he was quoting from songs and from (INAUDIBLE) and so on. Today he's updated it in which he says, "I am attempting to respond to each and every one of my supporters personally. Support has been overwhelming in volume and strength. I thank you all and ask that you permit me the time to respond to each of you. Once again, thank you again."

I mean how do you feel as Trayvon's mother seeing the man that killed your son, you know, thanking people over a Web site for the overwhelming support that he's receiving?

FULTON: I really haven't viewed the Web site. I know of the Web site from my attorney, but I haven't really viewed the Web site. I'm just really trying to stay focused on justice for Trayvon. And I don't want things like that to distract me. So some of the things I do not pay attention to, and that's one of them.

MORGAN: Do you feel as a family and again, I'll put this to you, Sybrina. Do you feel as a family that the sooner George Zimmerman gets arrested, the better. Not just for you and for the process of justice but also for George Zimmerman?

FULTON: I think it'll be a sense of relief on both ends. He will have a chance to have his day in court where he can plea for his self-defense if that's what he wants to use. But we just want him to be arrested so that he can come before a judge and jury.

MORGAN: Tracy, there's been endless speculation about this case. And I've spoken to you before about what we've known each step of the way. Given all that you've seen now, all the evidence has been presented. Everything that's been discussed and debated, is it possible, knowing your son better than anybody, is it possible that Trayvon could have instigated the altercation with George Zimmerman and could have been potentially doing something to him that could have provoked him into thinking my life is in danger?

MARTIN: First and foremost, Piers, you have to understand the raising of Trayvon. Trayvon wasn't raised to be an aggressor as the lawyers who never met Zimmerman are accusing Trayvon of being an aggressor, the initiator. There's no doubt in my mind that Trayvon was trying to get home. First, I mean, why would he approach an individual that he didn't know? He don't know if this individual has a weapon on them. He don't know anything about this individual.

So why would he approach him and attack him for no apparent reason? He never seen George Zimmerman. He never heard of George Zimmerman. So he had no reason to be the aggressor. Trayvon -- I'm a firm believer in Trayvon was being followed and provoked by George Zimmerman. And I'm sure George Zimmerman initiated contact. I'm just absolutely positively sure that Trayvon didn't initiate contact.

MORGAN: Well, I hope we get to a position where we can have these facts properly debated. It certainly seems as though the legal process now is speeding up. And I think given the erratic behavior of George Zimmerman in the last two days that we've seen, the sooner that happens I think the better for justice.

Thank you to Sybrina Fulton, Tracy Martin, and Ben Crump. Please stay in touch with us. I would greatly appreciate your sparing the time to come on my show. And we will continue to cover this case in the way that we have been. Thank you all very much.

CRUMP: Thank you, Mr. Morgan.

FULTON: Thank you.

MARTIN: Thank you, Piers.

MORGAN: Joining me now for more on this case is criminal defense attorney Alan Dershowitz, along with Debra Mathis, journalist and author of "Get a Stranger: Why Black Americans Still Don't Feel at Home."

Let me start with you. Alan Dershowitz. We have been talking about this almost on a daily basis now. I've got to say, personally, when I watch the lawyers for George Zimmerman give their press conference today, I find it pretty distasteful bordering on shockingly unprofessional actually. And it was one of the reasons why I think my own interview with them got so fractious is they seem to be in this for very self-serving reasons and I found the whole thing very unedifying.

What was your view as a lawyer of what went down today?

ALAN DERSHOWITZ, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I was very upset and very disturbed as a criminal defense lawyer and as somebody who teaches professional responsibility to students. There are certain things that a lawyer can do under these circumstances. A lawyer can simply say, I am no longer representing this defendant but he can't explain why. He can't say that the client rejected my advice. You can't do that. That's lawyer/client privileged communication.

He can't say that he might be willing to raise an insanity defense. That suggests that he was guilty but insane. He can't say that -- the lawyers can't say that we can't reach him, we don't where he is. He may or may not be available. He can't say that he called the prosecution. All of these things are covered either by lawyer/client privilege or by the secrets that lawyers are supposed to keep of their clients.

And there's just no reason why these lawyers should have appeared on television, held press conferences, and disclosed all of this information. All they had to do is quietly say we're no longer representing the defendant. Our role in the case is over.

MORGAN: Debra Mathis, I've always been struck from the start of this by how dignified Trayvon Martin's parents have been and continue to be. They've been very clear about their objective. Simply to get the legal process in their eyes into a fair place. What do you think will happen if George Zimmerman is never arrested? If there is no extension to the legal process?

DEBRA MATHIS, JOURNALIST: I don't know what may happen to his parents. Other than the fact that they will have to live out their lives with this searing pain that not only did they leave their -- lose their child suddenly, unexpectedly, cruelly, but there was no justice available to them as well. That is a wound that does not heal really. I can say that not having been through that, but I am a mother.

And as mothers, we know about ache and heartache and fear for our children. I don't know what the larger society may do. I shudder to think at how it may make us all feel. I would hope that peace would be maintained nonetheless.

OBAMA: Alan Dershowitz, the state attorney, Angela Corey, is known to be a pretty tough cookie. She is -- got a reputation for bringing hard and tough on bringing many cases to trial. Given her statement today, given the way this story has been developing, you'd be pretty amazed, would you, if this didn't now lead to at least an arrest?

DERSHOWITZ: I'd be surprised. I think that she will call for a prosecution. All you need to show for a prosecution is that there's probable cause. But then Florida has a strange statute. The defendant has a right to go in front of a judge. And if the judge finds that based on the statute he has a defense, the judge can give him what's called immunity. And then it doesn't go to trial. And if it goes to trial, the jury has to convict beyond the reasonable doubt.

So one possible outcome here is there may be an indictment but there may ultimately be an acquittal. Now that requires that Zimmerman get a decent lawyer. His lawyers today, for example, said that he may have been insane because he was suffering from post- traumatic stress disorder.

Now that's non an -- of if it was post-traumatic if it happened after the trauma, then he wasn't mentally ill at the time of the events at issue. Moreover, you don't raise a defense like that without the permission of the client. So if he gets a good lawyer, he has a reasonable chance of being acquitted by a jury. But I think he'll be arrested and indicted.

MORGAN: Well --

MATHIS: Yes, I have to say that this fishing expedition that various defenders of his whether they are his lawyers, his former lawyers or just his friends is pretty sickening to hear. I don't understand, frankly, with all -- despite all the racial implications here, all the political involvement in here. I don't understand why as a country we can't just come together and at least say let's try this case and find out what happened.

MORGAN: Debra, that's a good point. You're going to have to leave it there, I'm afraid. But thank you for joining me. And Alan Dershowitz, as always, thank you for your legal assessment. Both appreciate it very much.

DERSHOWITZ: Thank you.

MORGAN: When we come back, the big political story of the day. Rick Santorum drops out of the race leaving it all to Mitt Romney. Where does the campaign go now?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANTORUM: Against all odds we won 11 states. Millions of voters. Millions of votes. We won more counties than all the other people in this race combined. We were able to spread that message far and wide across this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: That's Rick Santorum today. The big political news, suspending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. It was looking more and more unlikely he could catch frontrunner Mitt Romney.

And joining me now is John Brabender, Rick Santorum's senior campaign adviser.

John, we've had many a chat on this rock n' roll, rollercoaster ride, good times and bad times, how are you feeling tonight as his campaign manager?

JOHN BRABENDER, SENIOR SANTORUM ADVISER: : Well, holding my head high. I think everybody involved in the campaign feels pretty good. I mean in the sense that there was a lot that was accomplished. We -- in many ways drove the message for the entire Republican Party in this. And as Rick Santorum said, winning 11 states, tying some others, getting more counties than all the other candidates combined is a pretty impressive thing for somebody who had a much more amount of money than the other candidates.

MORGAN: I mean there certainly is nothing to have won 11 states, given where he was back in December, when no one giving him a prayer was pretty miraculous. And he's worked incredibly hard. These things soak the life out of any candidate and all the people around them, don't they? What was the moment for you guys when you realized the game albeit temporarily is up?

BRABENDER: Well, you know, look. We're pretty good at being on the mystic. Maybe some would say we were deceiving ourselves. But they told us we weren't going to win Iowa. We did. We won three states in the middle there. We weren't supposed to win Mississippi and Alabama, we did, and a bunch of other states.

So we started to believe that miracles could happen. And so we were always very optimistic but there are three main factors this time. Number one, we looked at the old math, the new math, any math we could make up and we couldn't figure out how to get there on the delegate count. Number two, we really felt that there was an appetite for the Republicans to unify and take on Barack Obama and give the case why he should not be reelected.

And frankly the senator's daughter being put into emergency room and spending three days in the hospital over Easter was certainly a consideration for the Santorum household.

MORGAN: Yes, I mean, how is Bella? She's back at home now, right?

BRABENDER: She is. She really is a miracle child. She beats the odds every single day. And she's really an inspiration for people. It was -- it was so great to see on the campaign trail, we'd go place to place and people would have signs that say, I'm supporting Bella's dad for president.

(LAUGHTER)

BRABENDER: And really an inspiration.

MORGAN: She certainly is. So, John, what happens now? Because presumably at some stage Rick Santorum having beaten Mitt Romney to a pulp with all he's got is going to have to turn around and say this guy should be president, right?

BRABENDER: Well, absolutely. And you've got to understand. As hard as we tried and even some of the differences we have with Mitt Romney, certainly the differences with Barack Obama are much, much greater. And one of the reasons, again, the senator felt it was so needed to make this statement and suspend his campaign today is it's time to get on and unify and get behind beating Barack Obama. Too much is on the line. And Rick will be great at campaigning and great at helping that cause.

MORGAN: Does he hold out any aspiration of a potential VP slot or is that pie in the sky really, do you think?

BRABENDER: Well, look. I mean I will say this. Rick represents the conservative wing of the party and certainly the Tea Party part of the party, and getting them active and excited about the fall campaign is going to be very, very important. However, with that said, what Rick has been publicly about is that he'll help however he can. If that were to be something that would be helpful, I'm sure he would look at it. But, you know, you don't run for this to become vice president. He was very serious about being the Republican nominee and right now his focus will be just on defeating Barack Obama.

MORGAN: Presumably, John, it's not the last we've heard of Rick Santorum and his presidential aspirations. There's no reason given his age that he couldn't revisit this and campaign again next time around, right?

BRABENDER: Well, I think he's not going to look past November. I think he feels that there's a good chance for the Republicans to beat President Obama. I think he feels that that's a top priority and a need as well as to do well in the house and the Senate for Republicans. So that's -- that's where he'll be focused. But as you point out, he is young. He has a lot of supporters. We have a couple of hundred thousand contributors and more activists and so forth. And so I do believe he will be a force to help Republican candidates all around the country this year.

MORGAN: Well, it's been a great campaign, John. I think -- as I say, you came from nowhere, you guys. And you took the political world by storm for a long time. And I'm sorry that you've had to suspend the campaign today. And I wish you and the team that were behind Senator Santorum all the very best.

Please send my very best to him and his wife. I'm sure knowing the pair of them, they are feeling much happier about the return of their daughter than they are feeling dismayed at the end of the campaign.

BRABENDER: Without a doubt. And we certainly all got a lot of fun getting to know you, Piers. And I guess we hope we'll still get invited back now that we're not quite as important as we were.

(LAUGHTER)

MORGAN: I can guarantee you you will definitely be invited back. John, thanks very much.

BRABENDER: Always a pleasure, Piers. You take care.

MORGAN: I want to bring in my CNN colleague, Wolf Blitzer. Wolf, another turbulent day in the GOP race. Have we now seen real clarity? Is this the end of the race?

WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR, THE SITUATION ROOM: Yes. The end of the Republican race for all practical purposes. It's now Romney versus Obama. We've got seven months. It's going to be a fiercely fought contest.

Anyone, Piers, who thinks they know who's going to win in November is wrong. Because so much can happen. But the Republican nominee is clearly going to be Mitt Romney. The Democratic nominee obviously is President Obama. So it's going to be -- it's going to be a fun time for all of us who are covering politics to watch who's going to be the next president of the United States.

MORGAN: How does it affect the way that the primary is now played out? Because Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul are both saying they'll stay in the race probably until the Tampa convention. What does that mean in reality? I mean when we get to the next stage of primaries, how significant are they now in light of Santorum pulling out?

BLITZER: They're not very significant. It's all over for all practical purposes. They'll go through the motions. Romney will pick up more and more delegates. He'll get to 1,144. So the coronation formally will happen at the end of August at the Republican convention in Tampa. But it's done.

MORGAN: Obama's campaign man Jim Messina said in a statement, "It's no surprise that Mitt Romney was finally able to grind down his opponents under an avalanche of negative ads. But neither he nor special interest allies will be able to buy the presidency with their negative attacks. Now it's a bit rich coming from then, isn't it? Presumably they're already planning the mother of all negative assaults on Romney, aren't they?

BLITZER: If you think it was tough and angry and vicious among the Republican candidates themselves, just wait, Piers, because this is going to be a brutal, a brutal seven months with hundreds of million of dollars spent on both sides. The Republicans that they have a lot of money that got these super PACs that Ed Gillespie, Karl Rove have set up. I think they already about $200 million ready to go, and those are going to be negative attack ads in the key battle ground states. About a dozen states going after President Obama.

And President Obama, he's raising hundreds of millions of dollars himself. His pro-Obama Super PAC not doing well. But they've raised a ton of money. So if you own a TV station in one of these battle ground states like Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, you're going to make a lot of money over the next seven months because the advertising revenue is going to flow in.

MORGAN: Certainly true. And another person making a lot of money is Masters champion Bubba Watson. You a golf fan, Wolf?

BLITZER: I'm -- I watch the -- of course I'm not a huge player. I'm not a player at all but I watched the Masters. The finals. He did great. And he's a real colorful character. Congratulate him on my behalf, Piers, because I thought he would -- that one shot he did, that was really amazing.

MORGAN: I urge you to stay on and watch, Wolf. Thanks as always.

BRABENDER: Thanks, Piers.

MORGAN: And coming up next is my primetime exclusive with the man of the moment, Masters champion Bubba Watson.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN: Bubba Watson upgrading his wardrobe with a brand new Master's green jacket on Sunday. (INAUDIBLE) his emotion wind, you've heard he's never had a formal lesson in his life. And right now you're going to hear from himself. I'm joined to say I'm joined by the Masters champion himself. Bubba Watson.

WATSON: Thanks for having me. Thanks.

MORGAN: What a moment for you. The green jacket. Can I touch it?

WATSON: Yes, go ahead.

HOLMES: How does it feel?

WATSON: Feels nice.

MORGAN: How's it really feel? To be Bubba Watson right now?

WATSON: It's overwhelming. People like yourself want to talk to me. For me to come to New York and do these interviews and meet you for the first time, obviously it's a special time. It's fun.

MORGAN: Why have you given me the big exclusive interview? Because somebody has told me rather unnerving reason why.

WATSON: Because when you were on this other show, "America's Got Talent," you were a (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

(LAUGHTER)

WATSON: So I wanted to come here and make fun of you just like you made fun of anybody else.

(LAUGHTER)

MORGAN: I heard that was the reason.

WATSON: Yes.

MORGAN: But it's genuinely why, isn't it?

WATSON: Yes, for sure.

MORGAN: You just like me (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

WATSON: Yes, exactly.

MORGAN: I don't care how we got you here, I'll take it.

I love your story, Bubba. I was saying this on the show last night. There's something very American about it, there's something very authentic about you and what you've achieved this year. And I ended the show by saying you had three great dreams. To get the car of "Dukes of Hazard," the General Lee, to adopt a child, and to win the Masters. And you've done all three in the last three months. It's been a quite extraordinary time for you, isn't it?

WATSON: Yes, it has. It's been crazy. I took a tournament off this year that I normally don't take off. It got me to go to the auction where the General Lee was. And somehow I could afford the bidding stop, so I could afford, so I --

MORGAN: You paid 110,000 dollars.

WATSON: -- 110,000 for it, and my limit was going to be 150,000. And so it stopped, and so I bought it. Have that baby at my house.

MORGAN: Why did you want that car so much?

WATSON: The TV show. The TV show was --

MORGAN: "The Dukes of Hazzard."

WATSON: "The Dukes of Hazzard" was amazing. I loved it. Who doesn't want a car that jumps? And now I have -- own the car, the first car, the original that actually jumped in the opening credits. It's crazy to say I own that.

And then going through the adoption process, trying to keep it behind closed doors, trying to keep while we're trying play golf and try to perform well on the golf course. Our baby fell into our laps.

We came back home with a baby right after Bay Hill, had a week off. Had to fly to the Masters and then a week later, I'm here talking to you, Masters champ. All three in three or four months, it's been --

MORGAN: Can you quite believe it? Can you quite believe you're in the green jacket, on CNN, you know, talking to the world about being Masters champion?

(CROSSTALK)

WATSON: Talking to my favorite person.

MORGAN: Well, obviously, yes.

WATSON: Yes, obviously. (LAUGHTER)

MORGAN: But can you believe it?

WATSON: No. It's a -- it's a dream -- it's a dream, like I said before, it's a dream that I've never completed. It's a dream that I've never finished. To be here is -- I guess now it's a dream come true, like heaven on Earth. I mean, it's just a wild ride, and hopefully this ride keeps going, because it's fun right now.

MORGAN: What I loved about the way you did it was there was like a "Tin Cup" moment. You know, you were in the trees, the second hole of the playoff. And it was like, what's he going to do? Is he going to play safe. You know, which way is Bubba going to go? And every natural golf fan was just saying, "Go for it. Go on, Bubba. Go for it."

And you played this -- you're obviously a leftie -- you played this hook out. It was probably -- it must have been the best shot of your life, given the pressure. The stakes were so high. The difficulty of the shot and how it played out, was that the moment for you?

WATSON: No, I think the six-inch putt to win was the big moment. But, you know, the shot was amazing. I mean, it was just -- it set up perfect for me. I love to hook the ball. I hooked it about 40 yards, I've been telling everybody. So it just worked out perfectly. I didn't even see it. The crowd came rushing in on me.

I ran under the ropes. I went out onto the fairway. And then I asked my caddy, "Where is it?" And he said, "About 15 feet from the hole." And I said, "Wow. I can't believe it, that I actually pulled it off."

MORGAN: It could have gone horribly wrong.

WATSON: Right.

MORGAN: It was a massive risk, that shot. Many golfers would have just laid up. They'd have played safe, rather than take a risk that could have blown them the Masters, especially as you've never come close to winning it before. What is it inside you that made you look down and say, I'm going for this?

WATSON: I trust everything in -- every ounce of my body, I trust it all. I trust in my abilities. I trust I can do it. And that was the whole day. I just kept trusting, just trusting I was doing the right thing.

If it was meant to be, it was going to happen. Somehow it happened. And I never had doubt that that shot -- I could pull that shot off.

MORGAN: The moment when you had the six-inch putt to win the Masters, what goes through the golfer's mind when you're six inches away? Other than don't conk it out? WATSON: Right, exactly. I was going to be famous for one, either missing it or making it. You know, I actually did a motion to tell the crowd to quiet down. I wanted to go through my routine. I went behind the ball, looked at it, took my time, took some deep breaths, just making sure that I did everything I was supposed to do.

And it went in. And then --

MORGAN: Were you thinking of anybody in particular? I always wonder, when you reach that kind of epicenter of a sporting career, what is going to be the greatest moment of your life, who do you think of? What goes through your mind? Or is it all just focused on the shot?

WATSON: I definitely wasn't thinking about this show.

(LAUGHTER)

WATSON: If that's what you mean.

MORGAN: You weren't think of me when you won the Masters?

WATSON: You know, I -- like I've always said, it's just -- this is -- this is to honor my parents, to honor my late dad, honor my grandparents, honor all the people that have gotten to this point in my life, my friends, some of the golfers that stayed around, some of the family members that were there, all my fans on Twitter, Facebook, all my fans across the world.

You know, it was all for them. I mean, they helped me. They helped me get to where I am. They helped me drive to where I am today. And without their support, their love, their encouragement, who knows where I'd be, especially my beautiful wife. Very special.

MORGAN: It really was, and you were very emotional then. I can see you're emotional now. You're obviously an emotional guy, but it just must have meant so much. I was thinking about your story when you took that shot, about your father, about your mother, about your wife, about your little baby, all of it.

It's hard to imagine a more emotional moment for anyone than the one that you went through there, for all sorts of reasons. I mean, your wife came through a health scare. You know, your father, who was this great mentor to you, lost his life a couple of years ago.

And there you are with your mother, standing there and hugging your mother on the 18th at Augusta. It just must have been an extraordinary moment.

WATSON: It was. You know, growing up the way we grew up, money's not a big important thing to us. We don't care about money. We didn't care about being famous, showing off or anything like that.

And so that moment just overwhelms you, you know, because it is. It's just for my mom, for my dad, my late dad, my grandparents, my new baby boy, my wife. Just everybody that's influenced me, it just all comes together at once.

MORGAN: Let's take a short break, Bubba. I want to come back and talk about the early days, when you used to practice in this little dirt track, practice all these fancy hooks that would win you the Masters, and also about your friendship with Tiger Woods, who is a great hero of yours, I believe. So let's discuss that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN: Bubba Watson, not a man who's afraid to show his emotions and who can blame him. The 2012 Masters champion is back with me now.

Talking about your father before we went to the break there, and he, you know -- he served in Vietnam. What did he give you, your father, do you think, in terms of values? How much of his son are you, do you think?

WATSON: The first thing that springs to mind is he told me I got two options. I can be a follower or a leader. And he said you don't want to follow. You want to be a leader. And so that always sticks to me. So I play the game of golf my way. I do things my way.

I don't let anybody influence me, except my wife sometimes. She influences me.

But you know, I do it my way. I don't let people tell me what to do or anything. I'm going to do it my way, do everything in my life my way. If it makes me happy and it's something I want to do, that's what I'm going to do.

MORGAN: They say you've got ADD. Is that true?

WATSON: What?

(LAUGHTER)

WATSON: I wasn't paying attention, sorry.

(LAUGHTER)

MORGAN: Attention deficit disorder. I don't know, you're winding me up.

WATSON: Yes.

MORGAN: But they say you've got this. What I liked was the intensity on your face in those playoff holes was very marked. When anyone didn't know you, I was like, wow, this guy's focused and intense. And then I read about the ADD, I'm like, how can this be the same guy? How did you become so composed in such a pressurized moment, if the rest of the time you're all over the place?

WATSON: You know, I recognize that. I've had a couple chances to win where I struggled on Sunday. And so for me, I'm not mad. I'm not angry of anything. I just put my head down in between holes, walking down the fairway, not trying to focus on anybody yelling at me, supporting me, cheering for me.

I try to just stay in the moment and talk to myself as I'm walking down the fairway, in my head, trying to get ready for the next shot. Get ready for what I've got to say to me. And so, yes, so it looks like a stern face.

It looks like I'm really focused. And that's what I have to do. I've found that out, that that's what I have to do. I have to work at that really hard to stay committed to each shot, stay focused on the golf course until the job's done.

MORGAN: How important was Tiger Woods in all this? Because I read that you and he have a good friendship, but that he actually had a serious word with you about this. He said, look, you can win big titles. Tell me about that.

WATSON: You know, a few years ago when we were playing a lot of practice rounds together, before his injuries and stuff, we played practice rounds and he -- I learned a lot from -- I learn by watching. I don't learn by listening or doing. I just learn by watching.

And watching him move shots, being the shot maker that he is, hitting great curves, hitting three woods on certain holes, chipping and putting, knowing that chipping and putting's a big deal in the game of golf. And talking to him, he just -- he just showed me a lot of things. I learned a lot of things.

And I'm -- I've grown in the game of golf from that. And then he said I got to take it more serious, you know. You got to -- you got to take the game of golf more serious if you're going to perform, if you're going to get a W.

And then so I took that to heart. I hired me a trainer. I have a trainer that goes with me everywhere I go, try to work out more, making sure to stay healthy, to do all the things to make the right moves, for being a better golfer.

And it made sense. It -- I understood what he was talking about after I thought about it for a little while. And I obviously have improved the last few years. I've won a few times.

MORGAN: And you do out drive him, of course.

WATSON: Well, for sure -- he's older, though.

(LAUGHTER)

MORGAN: But you're obviously now experiencing celebrity, probably for the first time in your career, probably. When you see what happened to Tiger, obviously great to see him back now, but he went through the up and the down of celebrity. What lessons can you draw from that?

WATSON: Well, I think you got to learn from every situation. You know, the thing about -- the thing about Tiger, he's in the media more than anybody else. The guy who's number 200 in the world doesn't really see the media that much. So he might have problems going off the course. We just don't know. We all have problems in our lives. We all have situations in our lives.

Obviously, you don't want to use that as an example, a guy that I look up to, a guy that has changed the game of golf forever, a guy who still can grow the game of golf. You just kind of learn from that, and hopefully you don't fall in the same situations.

You can get out of those situations. And you don't put yourself in situations that can harm you, harm you and your family. And then, obviously, the injuries that he's had over the years is just something you can't help. You can't predict those.

MORGAN: Is he still the best you've seen, Tiger?

WATSON: Yes. I never got to see Jack Nicklaus. I think Rory McIlroy is talent. I think he's got the head-on -- the head that you need to play good golf, to compete in every major. Watching his golf swing, he could be the next.

But you know, I mean, Tiger's set the bar so high, I mean, Phil Mickelson's won 40 times and Tiger's almost doubled that. So Tiger's set the bar so high that it's almost uncatchable, I guess.

MORGAN: Let's take another break. I want to come back and talk to you about women in golf, the woman who's most important to you, your wife, but also what you think of Augusta not having female members. Because I have pretty strong views about this, Bubba.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SINGING)

WATSON: I wanted to be a dancer, and the singing was the easy part.

(SINGING)

WATSON: That was -- that was pretty good. I feel hot right now.

(SINGING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Bubba Watson, what were you thinking?

WATSON: "America's Got Talent." That's --

MORGAN: That is not going through the second round. That was the Golf Boys, featuring fellow golfers Ben Crane, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan. I think I got that right. What were you doing there?

WATSON: Well --

MORGAN: What was the thought process?

WATSON: Golf is boring.

(LAUGHTER)

WATSON: So --

MORGAN: That is true.

WATSON: You know, we felt like trying to help charities a different way. And so we got on iTunes. We got the song on iTunes, we got a ringtone, trying to raise charity just different ways, and bring a light to it, and show that -- our character off the course, because on the course it gets boring, it gets long.

(CROSSTALK)

MORGAN: Bubba, I think you're going to single handedly revolutionize golf, because you're just not boring.

WATSON: Well --

MORGAN: You know, a lot of them are, I'm afraid. I have interviewed a lot of golfers. Some of them are very dull.

(CROSSTALK)

WATSON: I got to keep winning, though. If I don't win --

(CROSSTALK)

MORGAN: -- side to you, which is very entertaining.

Let's talk women and golf, because there's a big row this week about the Augusta not allowing female members. What is your view? You're the champion.

WATSON: This day and age, I think that -- I don't see any reason why it could hurt. But, again, it's a club that has rules that can do that. There's places that -- there's rules made up. There's laws made up that we can't do certain things. You know, it took a lot of security codes to get in here, to get to this room.

(LAUGHTER)

WATSON: So what are yawl protecting? You know what I'm saying? You know, I mean, that's the thing. It's something for your own organization to figure out, you know. Tall obviously didn't want Bubba to come in here right away.

(LAUGHTER)

WATSON: I went through a lot of security --

(CROSSTALK)

WATSON: -- out there watching me.

MORGAN: Tell me about your wife, because --

WATSON: Wait, what was your words on this? Let me hear your great --

MORGAN: Oh, I think it's completely ridiculous. And I think that the idea that, in the modern age, such a prestigious organization, that the whole world is focused on with this amazing tournament, doesn't allow women members, it's just like something out of the Dark Ages. I mean, just get over themselves. How could it hurt to have a female member? What are they going to do?

WATSON: I know who's not going to be a member.

MORGAN: Who, me?

WATSON: You.

(LAUGHTER)

MORGAN: Well, I am banning myself. If you're watching, Augusta, I ban myself. You can't ban me, I ban myself. I'll come back when you allow women.

Let's move onto your wife.

WATSON: No, they don't want -- they're not going to have you back.

MORGAN: They don't care either way. They've never even heard of me --

WATSON: -- probably don't watch your show.

MORGAN: Watch it.

WATSON: Well --

MORGAN: I started out liking you.

WATSON: Truth hurts sometimes.

MORGAN: That could easily turn. Just be careful about that.

Your wife is 6'4", and she's a basketball champion, played in the Olympics, played all over the place, actually. Tell me about how you met.

WATSON: We were at the University of Georgia. She was hurt. She's a year older, so she was hurt, coming back in rehab in that University of Georgia. I love to play basketball. I was playing on the court, goofing around with the girls -- girls' team. I played with a lot of them when they were off-season. And so we were running up and down the court, and she was there rehabbing her knee. And so I started talking to her; she blew me off. She could care less who I was, because I looked ridiculous out there trying to play basketball.

But I overheard her talking a couple days later at the same place, talking to the women's assistant coach about golf. So I said this is my in. I can talk to her, you know. And so I went over and I said, hey, you want to play golf one day? And she agreed somehow. And we went there and I told her who I was, told her what I did.

I said, I just turned pro, but I'm still finishing school. And so I hit a couple good shots. And so I guess I impressed her. And bugged her for the next couple weeks. She still said I don't want to hang out with you.

And then I guess I just kept bugging her enough where she said, yes, she'd go on a date with me. And so we hung out. And she said she had to go overseas, said she wanted to be serious. And I said, going overseas and spending time away from you is no big deal. We can, you know, long distance relationship can work.

We can talk throughout the -- you know, on the phone, do all that stuff, and then meet when you get back over here. So we did that for a while, and somehow I got -- it got more serious and we're married with a kid now.

MORGAN: Is she the great love of your life.

WATSON: Oh, for sure. She's -- whoo. She does amazing things to make me the person I am, the golfer that I am. She makes it all -- makes it all gel. You know, my craziness, my ADD, as you call it, is everywhere.

And she completes me. She makes it all work and she makes it all gel together. She's the one that's serious about everything, and I'm the jokester. And she's my best friend. I mean, I talk to her about anything. That's not one thing I would leave and hide from her, unless I'm trying to surprise her about something. But --

MORGAN: What did she say to you when you became Masters champion?

WATSON: She said -- she didn't say much. You know, we talked for five minutes on course there. And she just said, "I love you and I can't wait to see you."

She said that it's going to be amazing for Caleb to grow up and see these videos of -- I was talking about his -- talking about my son.

MORGAN: I mean, it will be. Can you imagine when your little boy's a little older?

WATSON: When he's old enough to focus? MORGAN: Yes, and --

WATSON: Focus on TV and see --

MORGAN: Yes, when you sit him down and this is -- this is Dad winning the Masters.

WATSON: He might ask who you are.

(LAUGHTER)

WATSON: Wait, I did that already.

MORGAN: Yes, but what a special moment that will be for you.

WATSON: No, it will be. You know, it's -- it'll be some good father-son stuff. It'll be something that I could only dream about. And actually Easter Sunday, the Masters, he -- we've had him a week, two weeks at that time. And then he'll see that -- all these pictures and videos of him, and see that Masters champ. Hopefully he knows what the Masters is when he gets old enough, and realizes that his dad really cared for him and his mom really cared for him, and just prove our love to him.

MORGAN: Good for you, Bubba. Well, I've got to say, look, from my point of view, I like golf. I play 18. I'm a bit scratchy, but I've had my moments. And I think you are a breath of fresh air in a sport that can often be quite dull. And I think this interview's proven that you're a one-off.

I think the whole of American, the whole world, actually, was roaring you on in the Masters. It was fantastic to see you win. Having said that, I want to challenge you, because we've got a little putting green down there, and this is going to be an "Only in America" special. It's Britain v. America. It's the Ryder Cup right here, after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Bubba Watson here today on Bubba's Bridge. We're going to hit a shot, under the porch, over the roof, into the hot tub. Let's see if I can do it.

(APPLAUSE)

(CROSS TALK)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: A classic Bubba Watson trick shot. That's how he fancies himself. Why shouldn't he? He's the Masters champion. However, this is not Augusta. This is CNN. And it's an Only in America special, my version the Ryder Cup.

Bubba? You may be Masters champion, mate, but you haven't come up against the Morganater. So we get one shot each.

WATSON: Did you make that yourself?

MORGAN: I did. The Morganater. If I say it often enough, it'll catch on. In fact, if you say it, it'll definitely catch on. So it's the Morganater v. the Masters champion. We have a little putting ground. I don't know, how far is that, about five feet?

WATSON: About nine feet.

MORGAN: Nine feet? Oh, could be out of your range, couldn't it?

WATSON: Yes, it could be.

MORGAN: I'm going first. Winner takes all. May the best man win. And I will. And by the way, you're going right-handed to give me a chance.

WATSON: That's fine. OK.

MORGAN: What do you think of my stance?

WATSON: What are you doing right now?

MORGAN: Don't you worry about me, mate.

This is going in.

OK. That didn't go very well. Come on, then. Show me how it's done, Master.

WATSON: There's no comments for that one.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

WATSON: Right-handed.

MORGAN: About three hundred million people watching this worldwide.

(CROSSTALK)

WATSON: At least mine stayed on the grass.

MORGAN: Tie-breaker. Let's have these balls back. Come on.

Let's have these back. First one to sink one wins, and we'll be here all night if we have to.

Oh, yes. Oh.

WATSON: Oh. Let's try this one more time. This is it.

Finally! (APPLAUSE)

MORGAN: Bubba Watson, the Masters champion. That's all for us tonight. "AC360" starts now.