In a message posted to Twitter Thursday evening, pro-golfer Bubba Watson announced that he will be painting over the Confederate flag that appears on the roof of his personal General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard with an American flag.

Watson, the third-ranked golfer in the world, purchased the official show-used vehicle at an auction a few years ago. At the famous Barrett-Jackson automobile auction, Watson paid $110,000 for the very first General Lee made and used in the pilot episode of the late '70s early '80s series.

His decision to remove the vehicle's iconic flag comes in the wake of the national controversy over the perceived racism behind the Civil War battle flag. But this is not the first time controversy has surrounded Watson's purchase. At a 2012 NASCAR race in Phoenix, a plan was in place for Watson to drive the General Lee around the track until it was canned by the racing organization because of the image of the Confederate flag. A NASCAR spokesman said the decision was to be more inclusive of fans.

Yet, Watson had a very different outlook on the Confederate flag controversy then when he said:

Obviously, I don’t stand for the Confederate flag. The Confederate flag was not used (in the show) for what people see it as today, so that's sad. But NASCAR was built on moonshining, so the show was built on moonshining. I thought it was fun. I didn’t buy the car to get publicity; I bought it because I love it.

They said the reason was the Confederate flag on top. I understand if I was using it in that form. But I bought because it's 01, from the TV show, and who doesn't want a car that's been jumped? The TV show was about moonshining, driving in the backwoods in those days.

NASCAR is continuing its push for "inclusiveness" by asking its fans to refrain from bringing their Confederate flags to races. If they do, they are encouraged to surrender them over in exchange for an American flag provided by NASCAR.