Before Bubba Watson arrived at Torrey Pines on Thursday to defend his title at the Farmers Insurance Open, he reported on Twitter that he bought the General Lee, the very same 1968 orange Dodge Charger from ‘The Dukes of Hazzard.’

How cool will it be when Bubba flies down Magnolia Lane at the Masters and blasts the Dixie horn? It might cause some of the members at Augusta National to expel bourbon from their noses. The original orange muscle car with the big ’01′ on the side and a rebel flag on the roof would turn heads anywhere.

The show that took place in the mystical Hazard County, Georgia is a big part of Americana. Just be glad Bubba didn’t decide to wear Daisy Duke’s shorts. They wouldn’t really go well with a green jacket.

Bubba opened with a 3-under 69 on the North Course at Torrey Pines. The top 14 players on the leaderboard all played the easier North Course today. Bubba, tied for 36th, will play have to do better when he plays the much longer and more difficult South Course tomorrow.

When he tees off Friday morning, let’s hope we hear guitar start up followed by the balladeer:
Just the good ol’ boy,
Never mean it no harm.
Making his way the only way he knows how,
A little more than the laws of gravity will allow.
Straightening the curves,
Hitting it far,
Flopping the wedge,
Bubba’s got a new car.

Should Bubba’s game need fixin’, he could always hire Cooter as his caddie.

Bubba Watson is great PR for the PGA Tour. He’s got a lot of heart. He supports charities. He tweets and posts to facebook often.

If only Phil Mickelson could grow mustache and buy the Trans Am from ‘Smokey and the Bandit,’ then they’d have something.