Caddie bags $500k pay day in US
Kiwi caddie Sam Pinfold found himself around $500,000 richer on Tuesday.
That was his share of the rewards after helping Australian golfer Cameron Smith score the biggest win of his career, taking out The Players Championship in Florida for a US$3.6 million (NZ$5.33 million) cheque.
It was a tough day at the office for Pinfold, 36, as he helped the Aussie keep his nerves calm, needing to scramble an up-anddown bogey on the final hole after finding the water.
The pair had a superb week on the greens with Pinfold helping Smith with some good reads as he needed only 101 putts for the 72 holes – the fewest by any winner in almost half a century.
Pinfold has been on Smith’s bag most of the time since they partnered up officially in July 2015.
Pinfold briefly linked with Smith the year before at the New Zealand Open in Arrowtown. He took his bag for the weekend rounds and Smith shot 67 and 71 to finish in the top 10.
Pinfold told NZ Golf Magazine the sport had played a huge part in his life growing up in Wellington. He learned to play the game at the Whitby Golf Club and joined Manor Park, representing the club in the Duncan Cup competition and representing Wellington in the age-group teams (under 18 and Under 21’s) and the 10-man senior team.
At 22 he felt his game wasn’t good enough to be a professional, so he moved across to the Gold Coast and took up a golf position at Royal Pines.
A call from his friend, Brad Iles, who was having a crack at the US scene, brought an invitation to join him on the bag. It proved defining.
‘‘It was supposed to be a temporary gig to have some fun, help Brad out, and see some of the US,’’ Pinfold said.
‘‘I went out on tour with him for what was supposed to be a nine- to 10-week trip to caddy in eight events.
‘‘For Brad everything on tour was new but he was playing well. He wanted a caddy who knew golf and knew him, so in one way I had the bigger learning curve, as it is more than just picking up the bag and heading to the first tee.’’
Pinfold has been in the job ever since – his clients include Marc Leishman, Aron Price, Scott Gardiner, Ryo Ishikawa, Trevor Immelman, and Brendan Steele. But Smith has been his main player.
There hasn’t been a bigger performance than the latest, with The Players Championship regarded as the game’s fifth major.
Pinfold enjoys his off-seasons in New Zealand, where he still plays off a low single figure handicap, and indulges in his other passion, horse racing.