ANA INSPIRATION
McAlpine talks Lexi Thompson ahead of first women’s Major of the season
THERE is caddying and then there is caddying. “The difference is that the top players will tend to hit it where you tell them to hit it,” said Kevin McAlpine with a chuckle as he mulled over some of the more crude, amateur exponents of this game who have that uncanny knack of finding every perilous nook and crannie that the caddie has implored them to avoid at all costs. Sound familiar?
As a regular heaver of bags at Kingsbarns, McAlpine has probably seen the sublime, the ridiculous and the sublimely ridiculous all in the space of a couple of swipes up the first. And no, he’s not caddied for this correspondent just yet. This week, though, it’s very much the cream of the golfing crop.
McAlpine, the son of former Dundee United goalkeeper Hamish, is in California where he will attempt to plot a path to glory for the world No.9, Lexi Thompson, in the ANA Inspiration, the first Major championship of the women’s season.
For McAlpine, who enjoyed a stellar amateur career, winning both the Scottish men’s matchplay and strokeplay titles before delving into the professional ranks, it’s quite a change.
Up until a few weeks ago he was working as an area rep for Golphin for Kids, until an old pals’ act landed him a job with one of the best female players on the planet. Jimmy Gunn, the Arizona-based golfer from Dornoch who plays on the second-tier of the US scene, recommended McAlpine to Thompson’s father.
The fact McAlpine knows Kingsbarns like the back of his hand was a major selling point.
“This year’s Women’s British Open is at Kingsbarns so the initial arrangement was just to do that,” explained McAlpine. “So I penned that week in and arranged some time off work too. A couple of weeks later I got the call saying that Lexi’s new caddie wasn’t working out and would I be available to come out and start? We talked on and off for four days and her dad just said, ‘Book the flight and come over’. I quit my job and decided to do it. It was an opportunity to caddie for one of the best women golfers and that’s something you can’t really turn down. Lexi and her team have taken a gamble on me and I have taken something of a gamble going, but it has to be tried.”
This transatlantic alliance has only been forged over a couple of events, but a share of 11th in last week’s Kia Classic on the LPGA Tour showed signs that it could be a profitable arrangement. Given that Thompson is a past winner of the ANA Inspiration over this same Rancho Mirage venue, the feeling of exciting possibility has been heightened.
“The relationship is going well,” said McAlpine, who is well aware that a caddie/player relationship in this fickle game can turn as fiery as a barbecue at Satan’s house. “It’s hard for her with a new caddie coming in but I believe she trusts me. I keep her calm, make sure I get the right yardages and basically do the jobs that let her play.”
McAlpine himself turned pro in 2010 but a niggling knee injury didn’t help his progression while the general trials of life on the lower rungs of the touring ladder began to take a toll. “I had my injury, then I headed out to Arizona to try to get my game back before coming back to Scotland to play the EuroPro Tour last year,” he said. “But I played only four events and just got fed up. I ran out of money too. I needed a change. I’m not sure what I’ll do golf wise now to be honest. I took my previous job and then things happened so quickly I haven’t really had time to think about whether I’m done playing or not. Being out here certainly gets the competitive juices going but working with Lexi and helping her is my priority just now.”
A Major-winning moment wouldn’t be a bad way to impress your new employer.