Papa had a brand new bag — and his caddie was thrilled
Father shares magical moments with his kids while competing against pros
If Steve Blake’s teenage kids are ever debating about who is dad’s favourite, this will probably come up.
Blake’s son, Connor, served as his caddie for the first two days of the 2018 Shaw Charity Classic, hauling one of those jumbo-sized tour bags around the fairways at Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club.
With his daughter, Brooklyn, carrying his clubs in Sunday ’s final round, Blake switched to a more manageable tote.
“It was funny because I emptied the tour bag, put all of the clubs in the carry bag, and we lifted the carry bag with the clubs and then lifted the tour bag without the clubs, and the tour bag was still heavier,” Blake said with a chuckle. “My daughter was just thrilled. She said, ‘Oh, this is good, this is good.’
“I asked her on about Hole 16 how she was doing, and she said, ‘Just great.’ And I asked her, ‘How do you think you would have been doing with that tour bag ?’ And she said, ‘Oh, I would have died a few holes back, for sure.’ ”
Good call, dad.
“I actually wanted to try the tour bag, just to show off to everyone,” said 16-year-old Brooklyn, who is back to school this week as a Grade 12 student at Notre Dame. “But my dad thought it was a wise idea to get the smaller bag. And looking back, it was a good decision.”
Steve Blake really wanted to show off this past week, too, and while you’ll have to look a long way down the leaderboard to find his name, the local financial adviser — and member at Hamptons Golf Club — certainly should be proud of his performance in Calgary’s annual PGA Tour Champions shootout.
The 50-year-old Blake, teeing it up on a sponsor exemption, signed for an even-par 70 in Friday ’s opening round at Canyon Meadows. He struggled Saturday in firing a 77, but bounced back with a 71 during Sunday’s last lap, highlighted by a pair of drained sand shots — for eagle on No. 11 and for birdie two holes later.
“I actually talked to my dad about the celebrations I was going to plan out when he made birdie putts,” Brooklyn said. “And then when he made that eagle, I didn’t know what to do. It was pure emotion. I was so happy for him.
“I just threw my arms up. I was in disbelief. And the crowd was going crazy. It was super cool.”
Thanks to his posse of supporters, it was easy to spot Blake at the latest instalment of the Shaw Charity Classic.
His family — including his wife, Kelly, and his parents — and friends showed up in matching red T-shirts, their patriotic garb emblazoned with a maple leaf and ‘Blaker’s Crew.’
After that superb shot Sunday on No. 11, the shouts from the gallery included “Atta boy, Steve!” and “Way to go, buddy!”
With a three-round tab of 8-over 218, Blake finished 72nd.
“It’s one thing, I think, to have support from people you don’t know. They clap for you and wish you good luck and everything like that,” said Blake, who had a smidgen of inside-the-ropes experience after qualifying earlier this summer for the U.S. Senior Open.
“But when it’s coming from family and friends, people who you see on a daily or weekly basis, it’s extra special. It just gets you so emotional, really.
“To see that one roll in on No. 11 and getting the crowd reaction, it was just, wow. And then to do it again out of another bunker and to see the same thing, it was like, ‘Oh my God, why am I trying to hit greens? I should be hitting bunkers.’
“And as much as I enjoyed doing it, and it was a thrill for me, I was just so thrilled for Blaker’s Crew and the other fans sitting there to see that, and to give them something that they could really cheer for.”
What was so meaningful for his kids is that Blake is usually cheering them on. Connor is now captain of the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Grande Prairie Storm. The 19-year-old forward was excused from training camp for a couple rounds as caddie before returning to the ice for Sunday’s special exhibition against the Humboldt Broncos in Peace River.
Brooklyn’s specialty is soccer. She won’t graduate until spring, but has already committed to compete at the NCAA level for the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies in Michigan.
“He’s always out there supporting us,” Connor said. “It’s nice to have that change, where we’re supporting him and everything is about him. The whole week has been about him. We’re having to make some sacrifices for him and it’s a good change, because he’s made so many sacrifices for us.
“And I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
That means more to Blake than any birdie or even eagle could.
“They were saying how proud they are of dad,” he said, suddenly a bit misty-eyed. “You just can’t explain that. Having your kids be proud of you? That’s amazing.” CHIP SHOTS: Jaclyn Lee (Glencoe) led Team Canada to a seventh place showing at the World Amateur Team Championships in Ireland. The 21-year-old from Calgary, a member of Golf Canada’s national program who is now entering her senior season with the Ohio State Buckeyes, fired a fourday total of 8-under 282, good for fifth on the overall leaderboard. What’s especially impressive is that Lee didn’t even have the benefit of a practice round, instead having to beeline straight from the first stage of LPGA Tour Q-School — she earned a passing grade, by the way — to the overseas international event … Jamie Welder (Country Hills) sizzled to a 7-under 65 during the Calgary Golf Association’s Tournament of Champions, finishing four shots clear of the competition at the one-day shootout at Carnmoney. Welder currently has a slim lead over City Amateur top-dog Jesse Galvon (Cottonwood) in the Player of the Year race … At 12, Jayla Kucy of Camrose became the youngest winner of the McLennan Ross Junior Golf Tour Championship. Kucy cruised to a six-stroke victory among the girls at the season-ending showdown at Wolf Creek, while Medicine Hat’s Mathieu Chapdelaine was best among the boys.