tee. He got off to a birdie-birdie start
and things seemed to be going well
until I put his bag down on the third
hole and it toppled over. He looked
over at my family, and shouted: ‘He’s
got one more chance. If he drops it
again, he’s out.’ In a strange way, that
incident probably helped to settle my
nerves. After that, it felt like I was
walking around the course with one of
my mates. We were just chatting
away and laughing the whole time.
Prior to the round, Sergio had
joked to my kids that he hoped I was
still going to be able to walk after 18
holes. Appare
lightest tour b (
any waterproo )
didn’t feel like I l h d
and it didn’t h l h h
one of the hill I’
experienced. S
I was feeling my
we’d finished a d
certainly mad
realise what a d cu
job a caddie h
actually got. A
just from a phy
standpoint. Th y g
look after thei p y
so many differ y
from lending strategic and
psychological advice to supplying
them with food and drink.
Sergio’s usual bagman Glen Murray
was absent for the week, so his
brother Victor was the acting caddie
and in charge of the yardage book.
As soon as we stepped foot on the
greens, Victor was pacing around
analysing where all the humps and
bumps were and making notes on
possible pin positions and where the
best places to miss were. By the time
we reached the 13th hole, I hadn’t
given Sergio any reads on the greens
but I told him I wanted to get involved
in this one. He laughed and asked me
what I thought. It was downhill, at
least 25 foot and looked to be coming
in two foot from the left. That’s what I
yway, but he disagreed
and said it was one foot from
the left. I then walked away,
reiterating what I said
previously, and to my
surprise he actually
started the ball off on the
line I suggested. Time
seemed to stand still as
the ball rolled towards
the hole before dropping
in. We celebrated with afist bump and of course I took credit
for it being my read. He ended up
shooting three-under-par, but he
could have shot 80 and it wouldn’t
have taken the gloss of an
unbelievable experience.
What really stood out was how
Sergio came across as just a normal
bloke. He wasn’t arrogant at all and
gave my two boys a couple of high
fives which was really nice. After the
round, he posed for a few pictures
with my family and gave me and my
son a signed golf ball. I returned the
favour by handing him a Peterborough
United football shirt which had Garcia
and the number one printed on the
back. I’d like to think it’s now taking
pride of place in his home alongside
the Masters trophy!
I saw Angela, Sergio’s wife, the day
after the pro-am and she told me that
he thought I was excellent. That
meant a lot, especially coming from
someone I’ve idolised throughout my
adult life. I can now say I’ve caddied
for the Masters champion and had a
really good laugh doing it. I just hope
he considers me again if he ever
needs a caddie at the last minute.
That read on 13 must have boosted
my chances!What
Sergio
said after...
“He’s done well.
I didn’t know
how he’d get on
because it’s a
tough course,
especially
with the hills
and carrying
a bag. But he
held on well.
It’s been really
good fun. He
gave me a great
read on the
13th hole, so
he’s been very
impressive.”Supreme
‘The sound his
ball makes off the
clubface is unreal.Bit more left
‘I onlyread one
putt for him... but
he holed it!’Hard work
‘I tried to do
as much as I
could.’TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK ISSUE 367 63