WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. - Bubba Watson has been the talk of the PGA Tour throughout the week, but his movements away from the golf course also have raised quite a stir.
Watson, who won the Travelers Championship for his eighth win on Tour, happens to own what he believes is "the first General Lee ever produced."
The 1969 Dodge Charger from the show "The Dukes of Hazzard," which ran on network television from 1979-85, is known for the Confederate flag painted on its roof.
The one owned by Watson won't continue to feature the flag for long. He announced on Twitter his intentions to paint over it, replacing it with the American flag.
The Confederate flag has become a hot-button issue since nine people were killed at a predominantly black church in Charleston, S.C., on June 17. Politicians have denounced the flag as a symbol of racism and bigotry and insisted it be removed from flying above state buildings in South Carolina.
For Watson's part, he said he was a big fan of "The Dukes of Hazzard," but said "there was no racism in the show that I can remember."
"Me and my dad, me and my family used to watch it, and who doesn't want a car that jumps, so I'm still a huge fan of the car," he said.
"I love the show, but the flag is offensive to people, and enough buzz, I felt like it was the right gesture for me to do, and so I don't stand for hatred, and so I think we're all equal, we're all created equal, like I said in my tweet."
Watson tweeted on Thursday: "All men ARE created equal, I believe that so I will be painting the American flag over the roof of the General Lee #USA."
The message was retweeted 1,870 times and favorited 3,170 as of Friday afternoon.
Not all of the responses were in favor of Watson's decision, however.
One Twitter message read, "now you can just call it the General PC," while another felt like it was a public relations move: "but why change now? He's only doing this because it makes him look good."
Watson stood firm behind his decision, realizing it's a polarizing issue.
"... like I've said before, 50 percent of the world is going to like me, 50 percent is going to hate me, or maybe a little less. Ten percent could care less who I am. You know, that's why I don't drive it. Once people start putting hatred on it, I don't want to be involved with that."
Watson shot a 2-under 68 on Friday at the Greenbrier Classic to go to 5-under for the tournament, marking the third time in the last five events that he's made the cut. The No. 3 player in the FedEx Cup rankings made the cut in his first eight starts of the season.
Contact Assistant Sports Editor Rich Stevens at richstevens@dailymailwv.com or 304-348-4837. Follow him on Twitter @richdailymail