Mark’s Kaddy Korner

Hey all,

Bittersweet, that’s all there is to say about last week; home without a job but it’s really not home any more. Shawn and Cindy were gracious; they let me and Alaskan Dave crash at their place for the week while we searched for work. It was nice, I guess, seeing some old friends, my dog Zach, but I was ready to get out of their Tuesday after a futile job search. On Monday I thought my prospects were good but Tuesday morning there was large gathering of experienced caddies in the parking lot.

There were a dozen caddies with at least twenty years experience apiece. “Philly Billy”, Paul Azinger’s caddy, who had just finished fifth with Tim Petrovic the week before, was checking the stock market on the caddy tent lap top, and the rest of the crew were texting or calling the alternate list, my chances were bleak at best. I had none of the numbers so I made the rounds, talking with the few friends and players I know out here. There were some possibilities but not for this week, maybe down the road.

This is the last year for the GMO, U.S. Bank is no longer sponsoring the tournament, but rumor has it Jerry Kelly, Steve Stricker, and the Kohler contingent may be putting something together for the future. You hear a lot of stuff on the range, hopefully this will come through. Milwaukee has supported the PGA Tour for a long time and it’s one of two municipal courses left on the schedule.

The economy has hurt the smaller venues the most; it even took a 50% bite out of The Memorial corporate sponsors, Jack’s tournament. If one of the top tournaments is hurting, it’s definitely tough for the rest of the events.

After a long night with some close friends watching the All-Star game and distributing passes to some of my old haunts, I left for the UP and Mackinac Island Wednesday morning. The rest of the week was dedicated to the British Open and some work around the house. Watson’s play helped take my mind off the unemployment situation; every TV in the house was tuned to the BBC. I kept waiting for him to mention me in his preparation for the British Open. I got no credit and really didn’t expect any, no veteran caddy ever expects compliments just the blame.

Six weeks ago I could see a glimmer in his eye and the swing was there. His new hip was allowing a full turn and the club was in place at the top, but no one saw this on the horizon. When I left Tom on Sunday of the PGA he was definitely looking forward to tournament golf again. I wish I could have been by his side this week or at least in the crowd. Oh well, working the parking lots is a close twentieth.

Bruce Edwards was definitely by his side, and if he had been carrying the bag it may have been a different ending. Nothing against Ox, he’s a great guy and contributes all his winnings to charity, but one of the top political consultants isn’t trained to pull clubs on the British Open’s final hole. Tom kept mentioning there was something spiritual going on; a little luck thrown in on that last hole would have been nice.

As disappointing as it was, Bruce would have been able to put a positive spin on the outcome. Tom inspired a world of old golfers and reinforced that golf is a game for a lifetime. There was no one cheering against Stewart but it sure was quiet out there when his shots were airborne. The Scottish fans have too much class for that sort of behavior. They cheered on their hero and respectfully watched his demise, but never issued a jeer. Some our fans should take a lesson.

It was another tough week with a sad ending, but there was some inspiration along the way. I had a nice conversation with Gary D’Amato, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel sports writer, on the practice tee; maybe this writing stuff will take the place of tournament parking lots. A few more weeks are about all I can take, and next week I may hit every tour’s parking lot. The PGA is in Flint, MI, Champions in Indianapolis, and the Nationwide is in Columbus, OH, I might have to make a long road trip and touch base with everyone.

Take care.

Mark