The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Golfer-caddie synergy? It’s in the bag
CROMWELL — The lasting image of the 2017 Travelers Championship is one of pure joy for Jordan Spieth. It’s a celebratory chest bump between the golfer and his caddie following a miraculous escape from a greenside bunker during a one-hole playoff with Daniel Berger.
Later, when asked about his iron-clad resolve leading up to that moment, the newly minted champion credited his caddie, Michael Greller, for keeping him level-headed throughout the tournament.
“It was tough,” Spieth said. “I give a lot of credit to Michael. I thought this was his most impressive performance he’s ever had. This whole week I haven’t felt comfortable on the greens. I voiced that. Even when I made some putts, they didn’t necessarily feel like great putts. It wasn’t a normal kind of Jordan putting week.
“You know, something like this could be a catapult, but Michael kept me grounded. He said, ‘Look, this one, I don’t want you dropping to any negative thoughts. Stay as positive as you can.’ ”
When it comes to relationships in sports, few are as unique as the one between a golfer and his caddie. They’ve included a husband and his wife, a son and his father, brothers, friends and in some cases foes.
“It varies with each relationship,” Mackenzie Hughes, the 257th-ranked golfer in the world, said from the practice range at TPC River Highlands on Tuesday. “Some guys spend a lot of time together, some guys stay together, some guys don’t spend any time together off of the golf course. Sometimes it’s strictly business.”
These relationships have been known to range from friendly to volatile. So much is expected of caddies that one mistake, no matter how big, can draw a golfer’s ire. Who can forget when Bubba Watson ripped Ted Scott’s club selection after the lefty hit his tee shot into the water at the 2013 Travelers?
“Nowadays, you make a mistake and you get fired because everything is so competitive with jobs,” said Mike Bestor, Geoff Ogilvy’s caddie.
For Bestor, who has caddied for nine different players over more than a dozen years on the PGA Tour, the job is about more than choosing which iron or wood to use. Bestor is as much a psychologist as he is an instructor. He and Ogilvy tend to keep their conversations about golf to a minimum out on the course.
“Geoff is very old-school,” Bestor said. “When I say old-school, it’s kind of like bare minimum — maybe one or two numbers. We don’t talk too much about golf. It’s more keeping your mind off of golf be“Everybody’s tween shots. We have a lot of similar interests, which makes it really easy to have conversations.
“Sometimes a person might not want much golf information, but if you don’t have anything in common, after a couple weeks you kind of run out of stuff to talk about. You’re reading the paper before a round just to come up with topics.”
There was no need for Grant Berry to dig deep for what to say after watching Spieth hole a 60-foot chip shot for birdie to win the 2017 Travelers Championship. Berger — whose father, Jay, was once the No. 7-ranked tennis player in the world and the head of USTA men’s tennis — is one of those golfers who prefers to keep it all about business. He lets the moment dictate the conversation.
Being on the wrong end of one of the most remarkable shots on the PGA Tour last year didn’t change that.
“He’s the boss,” Berry said. “I just give him whatever he needs. It’s not a friendship. It’s high-octane out there.”
Graeme McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open champion, described the role of a caddie as this: “It’s a guy who shows up every day to do his job, a guy who understands your goals and what it is you’re trying to achieve in the game. A caddie is a coach, a psychologist, a mathematician, a friend, a confidant. He’s everything.”
The background of caddies in the sport varies.
got a golf background. Not everyone is a scratch handicap,” said Tim Giuliano, Brandon Harkins’ caddie.
The Windsor native received his first big break not long after returning from Spain, where he had spent his post-college years working in freight forwarding for UPS. Giuliano caddied for one year at Hartford Golf Club, then was offered a similar position at Augusta National, home of the Masters.
“It was supposed to be just a year,” Giuliano said. “That turned into David Frost bringing me on tour with him, the Champions Tour. And then I caught the bug.”
Giuliano, a former all-state golfer at Windsor High, admits he never would have imagined that, at 32, he’d be sharing the course with the biggest names in the sport. He called this weekend at the Travelers Championship, during which he’s worn a Hartford Whalers hat — “It’s pretty cool, people are yelling, ‘Go Whalers.’ Takes the edge off,” he joked — a “bucket-list” item. So, too, was playing in the same grouping as Tiger Woods at Quail Hollow earlier this year.
“I’ll never forget that one,” Giuliano said, referring to Woods. “It was just awesome, Sunday with Tiger. It was a good time.”
Brett Stegmaier’s caddie, Reynolds Robinson, also has a unique story. Robinson was an internal audit consultant and project accountant for both Honeywell and PricewaterhouseCoopers for 13 years before picking up a golf club for the first time at the age of 28. Now 47, Reynolds has caddied for more than 10 golfers over the past 10 years. He joined Stegmaier, a Madison resident, three weeks ago at the AT&T Byron Nelson.
As for Berry, he got into the business 33 years ago as a 19-yearold who aspired to travel all over Europe. He’s gone on to work with 66 pros at more than 1,000 tournaments.
“I’d rather do this than corporate crap,” Robinson joked.
After all, the job does have its perks — money being one. Contracts are negotiable, but most golfers pay caddies anywhere from 5 to 10 percent of their winnings, according to Giuliano. Caddies who pair with the more established golfers on the PGA Tour on average receive bigger paydays.
According to Forbes, J.P. Fitzgerald, Rory McIlroy’s former caddie, was the highest-earning caddie in 2016 at a reported $1.65 million. Austin Johnson, whose brother, Justin, is the world’s current No. 1-ranked player, made a reported $1.6 million.
“It’s not like a typical caddie deal where guys are going off and partying and doing all that,” Giuliano said. “There’s too much money in it and it’s too serious. It’s a real job and a career.” dbonjour@ctpost.com; @DougBonjour
JUNE 25
⏩ The Notre Dame of West Haven Golf Open will be held at Race Brook Country Club. Registration fee of $295 includes a light breakfast and lunch on the course, refreshments throughout the day, three raffle tickets for prize drawing, tournament gift, golf, course contests, open bar, and a buffet dinner during the awards. All proceeds benefit the Notre Dame Scholarship Fund. Visit notredamehs.com for more information.
JULY 23
⏩ The 25th Annual Scholarship Golf Classic will be held at New Haven CC. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. That includes lunch and dinner and a premium gift, golf shoes. Chamber scholarship recipients will also be recognized. Contact thhe Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce for further information at 203-782-4337.
AUG. 10
⏩ West Haven Football Golf Tournament at Alling Memorial Golf Course. 7 a.m registration, 8 a.m. shotgun start. $150 golf and dinner or $40 for just dinner. Fee also includes hot dog and beverage at the turn, open bar, dinner, raffle and awards. Contact Tony 203-843-5313/ tonyocch1@sbcglobal.net or Jon 203-619-4784/Jonathon.Capone@whschools.org. Sponsorship opportunities available.
AUG. 15
⏩ The Rotary Club of East Haven, which is in its 80th year, is hosting its 10h annual benefit tournament, The Pasquale “Pat” Romano Memorial, at the Alling Memorial GC in New Haven with a continental breakfast at 8 a.m. and a 9 a.m. starting time. Included with the $100 entry fee are 18 holes of golf (including cart) and a full buffet dinner, which includes hot & cold appetizers with three entrees, that will be offered immediately following at the newly remolded Seasons (formerly Country House) on Foxon Road (Rte 80). Nominal prizes will be awarded and a 50/50 raffle will be held. Tee Sponsorships are available at $100 per and may be reserved along with places in the tournament by contacting Frank Gentilesco, Jr. at 203627-0602. Proceeds from the event will be used by the club for scholarships and other free events offered to the community.
SEPT. 25
⏩ Mothers Against Drunk Driving will be hosting the fourth annual “Golfers Gone MADD” golf tournament. It will be held at The Farms Country Club in Wallingford on Sept. 25. Entry fee is $200 per golfer which includes brunch, golf, cart, dinner, prizes and golfers gifts. Registration / Brunch starts at 9 a.m. and tournament at 11 a.m. with proceeds to benefit MADD Connecticut. For more information contact Michelle Lettieri at 203-764-2566 or michelle.lettieri@madd.org