Open unique for the caddies, too
For Justin York, the trip to the Waste Management Phoenix Open is a short drive, but quite literally down memory lane.
York is a Phoenix native, lives in Scottsdale, and his high school, Paradise Valley, is less than six miles down the road from TPC Scottsdale. On top of that, York caddies for Chez Reavie, an Arizona State and Mesa Dobson alum on the tour, and the two get a lot of local
love.
“It’s awesome,” York said. “A lot of faces, having to get a lot of tickets for a lot of buddies — it’s a lot of fun. Other than maybe the US Open, this would be number two in my book of tournaments to win. And definitely, it’s fun to attend, a lot of family around, so it’s a good week.”
Caddies are woven into the game of golf, and the excitement of the Phoenix Open carries over to them.
York already knew what he was getting into. He went to the Phoenix Open a couple of times growing up, but all while he was still a more casual fan. Even up through high school, he played football and baseball at Paradise Valley.
His first time caddying was with Reavie, and he thinks he’s been seven times. York loves the tournament, and each year brings something new. This weekend, caddies ended up being a bigger part of the conversation around the tournament.
On Friday, Denny McCarthy was penalized two strokes for his caddie, Derek Smith, standing behind him during practice swings. On Saturday, midway through the day and exactly 18 holes later, the two found out that the PGA had rescinded the penalty.
For the time in between, Smith replayed the hole in his head and on video over and over again.
“It was probably harder for him than it was for me,” McCarthy said. “I mean, I was obviously upset, but he was really upset. I told him there’s nothing we can do about it, it’s a freak incident.”
The PGA Tour released a statement, and PGA Tour vice president of competition Slugger White broke the news to McCarthy and Smith.
“I told Slugger, if he wasn’t sitting down, I’d give him a hug,” said Smith, who was still emotional recalling the “weird 24 hours.”
But McCarthy and Smith, who have a good relationship, didn’t let the emotional rollercoaster affect their overall tournament experience. The two have been playing together for two and a half years and are competing at the Phoenix Open for the first time.
“It’s all a new experience and a lot of fun,” Smith said. “We definitely both love it . ... There’s only one event like this, so to me, it’s really cool.”
Both hope the discussion of the rule can at least lead to a better understanding for everyone on the tour. But caddies also consistently help their golfers in other ways. Take Branden Grace for example. When Grace was eyeing the greens on the seventh hole on Friday, a discussion with his caddie, Craig Connelly, made all the difference.
“I thought it was a 7-iron, and my caddie, Craig, said he thinks it’s a perfect number for an 8,” Grace said Friday. “And I wanted to hit it pretty much at it, and, if anything, it’s going to finish just past it. And he thought it was just a normal flush 8-iron. And I said, okay, if that’s what you think, then I’m going to go for it.”
Grace was right to put his trust in Connelly. The 8-iron was good for a hole in one. The crowd erupted as Grace’s shot fulfilled Connelly’s prophecy.
Of course, at the Phoenix Open, like the golfers, caddies experience a slightly different atmosphere.
“It’s almost not even close to compare it to anywhere else,” York said. “You have to be very cognizant of the crowds, moving around people in positions, a lot of yelling, so having to deal with that is a little bit of a challenge at times, but it’s a lot of white noise out here, because there’s a lot going on.
“But it seemed to be pretty good and being a local guy, they give us a little bit more a little bit more leniency of yelling, but every once in a while you gotta yell at somebody.”
On Friday, he and Reavie had a fan yelling “Noonan!” as a “Caddyshack” reference as Reavie tried to putt. Smith said his group “didn’t experience anything outrageous,” but if something comes up on Sunday, he doesn’t think it will faze him.
“Especially as a caddie, everything you do, you have a basic way that you go about every shot,” Smith said. “And anything that some screams or something is not going to affect that at all. I don’t think it really affects players either, but it would be much more likely to affect them than to throw a caddie off.”
The experience for caddies has seen some tweaks.
The caddie races to the 16th hole have been phased out. York knows the fans are still partying hard, but he also sees them watching the game a little differently.
“Every year just gets better,” York said. “It’s the biggest party, and they decided to have a golf tournament at it in the background. It does get wilder and more people every year, but people seem to get it a little more every year that these guys are actually out here working, and we’re trying to do a job.”
This job and this golf course just come with a few more hazards.