Mark’s Kaddy Korner

You don’t get calls very often to work for legends. My buddy Todd called the week before the Senior PGA and asked if I’d like to work for Tom Watson. Neil Oxman, Ox, Tom’s odd year caddy had some health issues and couldn’t make it so Tom needed a caddy for the week. It wasn’t a done deal; Tom asked for a few names and said he would make the call. My name was in the hat; I waited impatiently for a few days then got the call.

“Hello Mark, this is Tom Watson. I understand you would like to caddy for me next week at the Senior PGA. Ox can’t make it,” he said.
I controlled my trembling voice, managed some small talk with Tom and made plans to meet him around noon Tuesday. This may be that big one every caddy dreams about; I was excited and couldn’t thank Todd enough. I had some doubts about my physical condition but I knew the adrenaline would sooth what ails me. Walking the fairways with a legend gets the blood flowing; my old creaky body would be fine.

Monday afternoon I walked Canterbury CC with Todd and picked his brain . Todd has worked for Tom off and on the last four years; I wanted to find out Tom’s nuisances and make sure I had the proper information for a smooth round. We walked and talked, checked out the fairways and greens, and Todd explained what types of information Tom would request during the round. Just the basic facts and numbers were necessary; Todd said Tom liked to keep things as simple as possible.

The memories from the 1996 U.S. Open at Canterbury weren’t very good, hopefully this week would erase Murph’s broken driver lying on the practice tee. Dave Stockton, Murph, and numerous players and caddies reminded me about the broken driver incident. Tom brushed it off when it was brought up and I tried to hush everyone. You don’t want your new employer, especially a legend, hearing about your major screw ups.

We played the Tuesday pro-am with Food Channel’s Iron Chef Michael Simon and his entourage. They say if you want to get to know someone play a round of golf together. From the get go there was good natured bantering and jibes thrown in every direction. Tom gave and received the jabs; we had a lot of fun. Tom and Michael exchanged recipes for golf lessons; there was more cooking talk than golf. Tom was naturally interested and spent a lot of time interacting with everyone. He was always involved with the crowd, volunteers, caddies, and amateurs; you could tell he was enjoying himself. The legend seemed to be a good ol’ Midwestern boy.

We got a good look at the course but this 1921 classic with its blind tee shots, sloping fairways, and undulating greens needed some more attention. Tom had been on the go for the past month and told me he wouldn’t be out before ten on Wednesday. The caddy job description states I must be there at 9:30 and wait patiently. Tom showed up about noon and during my wait I realized I was working for someone special.

While I was standing next to Tom’s bag outside the clubhouse everyone who walked by had a question about Tom. Every generation stopped by Tom’s bag, gazed at the name, peered at the clubs, and wanted to know when he would be out. They wanted to be there for his practice round; they wanted to follow a legend around the course. There were a lot of questions I couldn’t honestly answer and after awhile I turned the bag around hiding the name to avoid all the attention. I don’t enjoy the limelight but this week I’ll have to deal with it.

We headed for the practice tee to shake off the rust. Max and Jerry, Adams reps worked a bit with Tom’s swing trying to get it comfortable at the top and a smooth transition through the strike zone. We weren’t the only one’s watching. Whenever Tom would start down the practice tee steps the gallery would gather behind us and the volunteers would find something to do in the immediate area. Everyone wanted to watch one of the prettiest swings in golf.

When we got to the first tee a club pro was waiting. Tom politely introduced himself and asked if there was room for another. Gary Sewlinski, and his caddy, couldn’t believe their eyes; they were going to play a practice round with a legend. After the first few holes they realized this legend was just “one of the guys”. Stories were told, lessons were learned, and new friendships were started during the round; a club pro and an eight time major winner enjoying each other’s company.

Whenever there was a hole that needed a little dissecting Tom questioned numbers off the tee, shot=2 0lines, fairway slopes, and yardages. He explained he wanted a clear picture of each hole so he could play within his limits. Accurate numbers and sight lines were important for confidant shot making so we made some adjustments and made sure everything was comfortable. Canterbury wasn’t a long course but you had to shape your shots and position your ball precisely off the tee to avoid the long bluegrass rough.

Wednesday evening we proclaimed ourselves ready for our early tee time with Jay Haas and Hal Sutton. The “A game” wasn’t with us Thursday, we bogied two out of the first three holes, but the old pro focused on every shot and battled throughout the round, managing a 72 which kept us in the ball game. Aft er the round we headed for the putting green and he wanted me to take a look at his stroke. Me, look at Tom Watson’s putting stroke and give him some advice? It’s part of the job and we discussed just getting comfortable, forgetting about mechanics, and letting your natural athletic ability take over. I think it helped him relax a bit.

Friday was a better day. The ball striking was crisper and the putts were falling until our last hole. We were sitting at even par coming to the par three=2 0ninth and Tom placed a seven iron about twenty above the hole. Even legends four putt. I blame myself a bit because I didn’t speak up on the third putt. Usually I’d tell my pro, “Take your time, relax, go through your routine” something like that, but I choked and couldn’t spit it out. The third putt fell short and left; Tom didn’t utter a word or express any emotion just walked to the scorer’s tent and took care of his card, a true professional. Golf, these things happen once in awhile, even to golfing legends.

Four over par left us in the middle of pack and paired with James Mason and Gene Jones, both long time mini-tour players who have done well on the Champions Tour. A nice crowd gathered at the first tee. Greg Norman and Hale Irwin were in front of us; there were a few majors in those two groups. During a round Tom doesn’t ask for a lot of help choosing a club and there isn’t a lot of conversation, but in between shots the talk may drift from sports to family to politics to hunting or fishing. His focus while over the shot is intense but there is time to enjoy the walk in between. He’s a country boy who enjoys nature; the hawks soaring over the course caught his eye in between shots.

We managed an even par round and passed a dozen people leaving us in position to do some damage Sunday. The butterflies gathered in my stomach Saturday evening but by Sunday morning they were flying in formation. One shot at a time, I tried to stay focused, and not get too excited when we birdied two out of the first three holes. The crowd was swelling and there were shouts, “Come on Tom you can do it!”

We had a wait on the fourth tee. Tom started up a conversation with our playing partner’s son about the finer points of popsicles. We’re in the hunt for a major championship and Tom’s talking popsicles with an eighteen year old!This moment spoke volumes about Tom Watson, the person. The putts continued to drop and going into the twelfth hole we were three shots out of the lead. The crowd was enormous and we finally hit the twelfth green for the first time.

While reading the putt we talked about perseverance and how very important it is to a good round of golf. The excitement was growing; this putt was crucial. I gave it my best look but it was wrong. Tom’s first read was breaking a bit right and I had it going left. We played it straight and the putt fell to the right. My heart sank and then we missed the comeback putt. On the next tee I said, “My fault” but the focus was on the next shot. Another three putt and our chances of winning were slim, but Tom kept grinding.

He talked about his putting woes under pressure, got it out of his system while we were walking off the fourteenth tee. A little pep talk and we were ready for the last five holes. A lot of players would have folded after back to back bogies. You don’t win eight majors with that attitude; anything can happen in this game. A missed fairway on the par five fifteenth forced us to lay-up, and Tom had a five footer for birdie. The previous short misses were forgotten and he ran it right in the heart.

Sixteen and seventeen were difficult with the swirling winds but we managed pars, and on the eighteenth hole Tom knocked a smooth five iron from a hanging lie in the rough to about two feet. He tapped in the birdie, walked off the green with a broad smile, and acknowledged the crowd while he was gazing at the scoreboard. We were tied for fifth with five other players. Perseverance was rewarded.

We exchanged pleasantries after the round and he thanked me for working at such short notice. I told him I was honored and would do it again anytime if the old guy, Ox, couldn’t make it. The week went well, there were a few caddy mistakes, but I never heard one mention of caddy error from Tom. It was an honor caddying for a legend, but it was even a greater experience witnessing the person.

Golf has been very good too Tom, but he has been even better for golf and its fans. There were a lot of kids who got autographs, a smile, and tousled hair from Tom. The volunteers received sincere thanks after the round and the spectators got a wink or a nod as he passed close to the gallery ropes. I watched many fathers point out Tom to their kids and could tell they were talking about one of their heroes.

He’s definitely one of mine now; I hope I get the chance to stroll the fairways again with him. A fourth place finish at a major isn’t bad, and I’d like to think I helped a bit, but I know deep down a good player always makes a caddy look good. Thanks for the week, Tom, it was a lot of fun.

Take care.

Mark

http://www.youpublish.com/mine/mypublications for more stories about Life on the PGA Tour.

——————————————————————————–
Pillsbury