Paisley calls on wife for helping hand

Tommy FleeTwood, Rory mcIlroy and Jason day started a recent trend on tour of replacing their caddies with close friends.

At the South African open last week, englishman Chris Paisley took this a stage further by employing his wife Keri and, after it paid a spectacular dividend for the 31-year-old with his first victory on tour, perhaps this is another idea that will catch on.

After all, the most important aspect of a caddie’s job these days might well be the psychological one, and who knows a player better than his wife?

‘Keri doesn’t know much about golf but she knows me really well, like when I’m going a bit quicker than I usually do or feeling a bit tight,’ said Paisley, from Newcastle.

when you’re a good player, as Paisley has been for quite some time now, but never been able to clamber over the finish line, isn’t a person armed with that sort of input exactly the one you need over the closing holes?

Paisley not only held on against home favourite Branden Grace when the nerves were stretched but outplayed him to keep the trophy in the North east, following the emotional win for Graeme Storm from Hartlepool last year.

Now Paisley has a win to his name, it will be interesting to see what happens to him — not to mention his regular caddie, who had been granted extended leave.