Caddie Confidential Dishes On Players Championship
When ESPN’s Michael Collins posts a Caddie Confidential, I’m locked in, because if you regularly read this blog, you know I’m a big fan of any article from an “anonymous” source. They’re always honestly insightful.
His latest delves into what the Tour caddie thinks about the lucrative Players Championship.
The Wells Fargo Championship last week and the Players Championship this week are the two biggest events on the PGA Tour for caddies. The first because of the treatment, the second because of the money.
Collins: Best thing about this tournament?
Caddie: The purse [$11 million]. Yeah, the money.
Collins: This week can be a really good week for the caddie wallet.
Caddie: And it’s a course that any player can win on. You have to have patience. So if you have a player who doesn’t have a lot of patience, it’s tough on the caddie to get them to hit the right clubs off certain tees.
Collins: Everyone is talking about the tournament moving from May to March.
Caddie: Yeah. I don’t know about that. The course is going to play completely different. They’re not going to be able to get it as firm and fast as it is in May because it’s going to be overseeded, I’m sure. It can be cold and wet. The weather isn’t going to be as good. The crowds are going to come no matter what, just the condition of the golf course [will be different].
Collins: But the crowds are going to look a lot different, too, that time of year.
Caddie: [Laughing] Yeah, the amount will be the same, but they’ll be all bundled up. You’re going to see a lot of rain gear!
The ‘fifth major’ factor
Collins: So that’s what makes it a major, biggest purse and strongest field?
Caddie: From top to bottom, it’s the best field in golf. Better than the majors.
Collins: So if the Players has to replace one, because there can only be four majors, which major is it replacing?
Caddie: Definitely wouldn’t be Augusta. U.S. Open … no.
Collins: Open Championship?
Caddie: [Big sigh] Aaaaaahh. I’d probably have to say the PGA.
Questions on the range
Collins: This year the tour is not letting media on the driving range. How does that affect y’all?
Caddie: Doesn’t really affect us at all. There’s certain tournaments — one of them that stands out to me is Bay Hill [Arnold Palmer Invitational] — it seems like there are hundreds of people on that driving range. It doesn’t really affect us at all. I mean it’s kind of like, “Who are all these people, and why are they here?” We’re still going to do our thing and get our work done. I noticed that they’re not even letting the putter reps set up on the practice green this week. They are not allowed to put their bags and putters on the greens this week.
Collins: What?
