Golf long shot hopes relationship is in the bag
As anyone who has played the game knows, golf tests your patience. Andrew Duvall and Emma Wahlgren are learning it tests your relationship too.
Duvall, a 28-year-old rookie on the Canadian Tour, had been dating Wahlgren for a matter of weeks when he popped the question: Will you be my caddy? She said yes. On Thursday at Scarboro Golf & Country Club, Wahlgren, 31, will have the clubs slung over her shoulder as Duvall, based in Santa Ana, Calif., tees it up in the $100,000 Canadian Tour Championship.
“I think it’s safe to say that I’m the one getting the best of this deal,” Duvall said with a laugh Wednesday during an interview in the clubhouse before a practice round.
It’s difficult to argue. This is no leisurely stroll in the sunshine. The golf bag may not be the big, hulking style seen on the PGA Tour but it still weighs upwards of 30 pounds and feels heavier late in a
For 3 months, tour rookie and girlfriend caddy must get along on the links and off
round when filled with golf balls, rain gear and umbrellas.
And while there may have been some nice hotels, good restaurants and enjoyable sightseeing, there’s been a lot of takeout meals and billeting with host families.
Throw in the fact that their journey from Southern California — 15,400 kilometres and counting — has been made in a well-worn Honda Civic and their total prize-money earned so far through six events is $750 and you might be wondering if the girl is a few clubs short of a full set for signing on.
“The idea hadn’t really crossed my mind,” said Wahlgren, an assistant golf pro who was working at the club where Duvall was practising when they met. “But when I thought about it I realized it wasn’t really a bad idea at all.
“It’s been an adventure,” said Wahlgren, who came to the United States from her native Sweden in 2001 to play golf at California State University, Northridge. “It’s fun.”
It’s clear by the way they interact they’re still in the honeymoon phase. They laugh together. A lot. Each praises the other for the patience and dedication since hitting the road in June.
“It could have been a relationship breaker,” Duvall said. “We could have been out here for two weeks and pretty much said, ‘Turn this thing around and get home.’ But it’s been great.”
He said Wahlgren, who has played professional mini-tour events in California and is eyeing a return to competitive golf herself, helps him with everything from reading putts and mapping out strategy to handling his emotions.
“It’s nice to have someone you trust on the bag,” he said.
But, as expected in a season in which he’s only made two of six cuts and last week’s tie for 49th and $405 payday in Windsor the best result, there have been tough times.
The low point came last month in Winnipeg when Duvall opened with a three-under-par 68 on a Thursday only to miss the cut by three shots after a six-over-par 77 on the Friday. To compound things, they had a long drive to Ontario.
“The first couple of hours of that ride were pretty quiet,” Duvall said.
Last week, in Windsor, they decided “she just needed a day off” and a volunteer caddy handled the final round while Wahlgren watched from the gallery.
“We have our moments,” Duvall said. “When you’re about a foot apart from each other for three months straight there are times when the car radio has got to be turned on. But we’ve enjoyed spending a lot of time together.”