Ever since Tiger fired Stevie and Stevie fired back at Tiger, caddies have been a bit more at the forefront of the golf discussion.
There are two very good reads out there if you’re interested in learning more about the life of caddies this weekend. Michael Collins has put together a piece for ESPN.com that talks about the different ways players and caddies can split. He references that getting “the call” is a lot like when a woman tells you she needs to talk. Collins has personal anecdotes that make the story stronger. He also has ideas for how and possibly who Tiger might hire next.
A read I enjoyed even more comes from Josh Sens on Golf.com who talks about the dying breed of migrant caddies – guys who travel from tourney to tourney looking for a gig. Read it and you’ll learn about a guy who essentially lives out of his van with a mattress and a hot plate. I loved this quote in the story…
“You don’t do this for the money,” says one caddie. “You do it because it’s in your DNA.”
Whether you’re a golfer, caddie or guy who happened on this link by chance… I recommend both stories.
Caddying is one of those tasks in life that folks on the outside take for granted. Just as pro-league coach differs a wee bit from house league parent volunteer, so too do bag jock and elite pro-tour caddy. At the highest level of sport, you want someone professional and driven on your bag, with a personality that complements your own. The itinerant caddy is an interesting species and I look forward to reading the article you mention.
Did Tiger actually fire him? I thought it was all the end of a happy (most of the time) working relationship, the interview all sounded nice as pie but i’m sure there will have been more to it than that.