The 1st round couldn’t get here fast enough. The rain caused tour officials to delay the start by 3 hours, then they sent the field off the 1st and 10th tee. I told Scott I would meet him in front of the locker room, he could do his regular morning routine and then I would head to the range to get ready. What to say – when to say it. Did I have my yardage book, where’s the daily pin sheet, which color caddy bib, I need an extra pencil or two, maybe a granola bar and some extra water, how about a towel – do I have enough for the rain, I have to make sure Scott’s grips are dry. I was pacing back and forth and I’m just the guy on the bag – I don’t have to hit a tee shot or sink a putt all week. But I had to make sure Scott was relaxed and ready to play. The other caddies, glancing over at the rookie, all wished me well as they walked by. Scott came up, worked his way thru the bag warming up – starting with the wedges and ending with the driver, before putting and hitting a few chip shots. He then told me to get 3 new balls out of the bag, so he could mark them. Oh my god I thought, do we have enough balls in the bag. And why the silver and red line and silver and red dot near the number? It’s unique he says, and no one else does it like that. What if I can’t find the ball if he misses the fairway – no worries, he won’t miss the fairway. But if he does – those volunteers are out their for one reason, and one reason only – to help me help Scott. I glanced around and started to see the stands fill with people, some of the other players were along side too – Palmer, Watson, Strange, Haas, Irwin, Quigley, Morgan, Kite, Simpson, Streck, Eaks and Doyle, among others. I didn’t mean to stare – but this was incredible. Here I am, inside the ropes with Scott Masingill ready to tee off for my 1st Champions Tour event as a caddy. Scott caught me looking around, bumped my arm, and said lets head to the tee. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Even though he cussed a few shots that he left out to the right on occasion, I thought Scott hit the ball pretty well during the first round – but he’s a tour professional and feels he can always do better. He was frustrated. The putter failed him a little – but all in all considering the wet conditions, not bad, he posted a 3-over 75. It was still raining, and Scott didn’t want to practice in the rain after he signed his scorecard. “We’re done for the day, see you tomorrow”, he said. What to say – and when to say it. “No worries, see you in the morning.” That’s all I could muster up.
I didn’t even know who was leading or what the other scores were. I was on Scott’s bag this week – and if the boss didn’t want to know, neither did I. Leaving the course for the night though, I did call my sister back in Missouri, asked her to log on the computer and run down some scores for me on pgatour.com. Back at the house, Spottsy and Beth asked how it went – and I spent the next hour telling of my experience and our round. They said it sounds like you had fun – I told them they had no idea, if I could change careers, I would. Life as a caddy is something very special. I just worried that I was going a good job for Scott. Which side to stand on, do I hold the bag or lay it down, grabbing the flag when it was my turn compared to the other caddies, raking the bunkers the right way, not standing in someone’s line thru the hole (Example: the scolding I got from Scott’s 1st round playing partner on the 2nd green), the right yardage to the pin, where’s the trouble on the hole, is the wind hurting us or helping us, and keep the walking scorer and standard bearer from moving during a shot. Most importantly, what to say – and when to say it. Give my opinion when Scott asks if I like the club selection, how will this putt break. It’s all about confidence. No hesitation. I don’t want Scott to second-guess his choice in me.
Round 2 was delayed as well. Because of yesterday’s afternoon storm, a handful of groups returned to the course Friday morning at 7:30 to finish their round. After re-pairing the field, we would tee off at 11:05, and rain was again in the forecast. What does Mother Nature have against the Champions Tour anyway? But there was a good bit of mojo working on the tee today. After misspelling Scott’s last name on the caddy bib yesterday – I asked the Tournament Caddy Chairman if he could get it corrected. Sure enough on the tee, he handed me the white bid and asked if this was the correct spelling. One S in Masingill – Scott just smiled. What a great feeling. The crowd was larger today and the applause a little more evident. I was beaming with pride. J.C Snead and Rick Rhoden were grouped with us. I was a little more at ease, with one tournament round under my belt I was walking with a little more confidence. I knew what to expect today. We had lunch with Rick Rhoden on Tuesday when we first arrived, and I had said hello to him a couple of times in the player’s lot. He asked if I was enjoying the week – by all means I told him, to say the very least. Again, after stretching out in the fitness trailer, Scott met me on the range to warm up – then it was off to the tee. Scott said he felt rested. He hit the ball a little better – still fought off a few stray swings to the right – but we left with a better score, and no lost balls in the water – a 1-over par 73 for the day, 4-over for the tournament. And I picked up something new about Scott today, he thanks everyone for everything. He thanked the volunteers for volunteering, the spectators for coming out to watch, the greenside workers for raising the ropes, thanked me countless times for the yardage and handing him the club he wanted, and raking the bunkers when he missed the green. For god’s sake – quit thanking me. Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate the gesture, but I’m just doing my job. Let’s rip this shot down the middle, hit the green with that 6-iron, make a putt and move on. Build some momentum and not worry about that drifting iron to the right. Maybe take one more club with the breeze. Make a good shoulder turn and fire down the line. But what to say – and when to say it.
The morning of round 3 is a carbon copy of the day before – except for one thing - the sun is out. Holy cow, what is that bright spot coming from the sky. I was hoping Scott had a deal with Bole’ or Oakley – I needed some shades, or at least the phone number for their tour rep. The course is still damp – but no rain gear or extra towels needed. This will lighten the load and dry grips are one less thing to worry about as we try to post a low number. We’re paired with Chris Starkjohann and Mike San Fillipo. Both great guys – and Chris’s caddy is Joe D – so I get to finish my 1st tournament with the 1st caddy that I met on tour. I’m really at ease. Picking up more and more tips from the other caddies around me. Enjoying our conversations up in the caddy tent or on the putting green as our guys work on finding some magic before heading out.
I took a little sampling of Scott’s kindness – throwing a couple of range balls to a couple of kids standing near the rope watching every shot, and whispering to their dad – commenting on how far that ball went. Same thing on the putting green – one lady had her daughter say thanks to me, then asked Scott to sign the ball. I always wanted to know what that feeling was like, and now I do. It gave me goose bumps to see a smile on a fan’s face – especially when their young, and more than likely their first tournament to see in person. Hopefully Scott didn’t mind, but I also tossed an old, sweaty glove to a kid midway thru the round – and I saw that same kid later, wearing it around the course, even though it was about 3 sizes too big.
I was worried on our 1st hole. Scott’s tee shot went into the water and their was a large, uncomfortable “ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh” that the crowd collectively sighed. I could tell my player was mad – there’s that *%$*#&^@ shot up and right that he’s been fighting. Not on the range mind you – just out here during the tournament.
I grabbed another ball from the bag – lucky number 8 this time – no more of those *%*#&^@ number 2’s. Down the fairway I went with the bag, ahead of Scott, ready for the yardage after his drop. He is still furious, cussing the tee shot. Scott hits his approach to about 12 feet – then it hit him, and more than that - it hit me. This hole, that tee shot – high right – has him sick to his stomach. He bends down, looks up at me and says something about quitting and not playing well, and being an embarrassment. Not wanting to be out here. He says this is the most frustrating thing ever– his only complaint of the year. Not on the range – but here in the tournament.
That *%*#&#& shot. These are things you don’t hear “outside the ropes”. But he was telling this to me. What to say – and when to say it. I wasn’t going to let him quit. Not on himself, not on me in my first tournament. No DQ on this scorecard. I just looked him in the eye, and said you’re not quitting. This is only 1 hole – 1 shot. Hit this *%*#^$ putt, make your bogey and move on. It’s just golf. You can do this – make the most of this opportunity. You have a special talent on the golf course so use it. No quitting. Forget about it that last swing. Your typical pep talk. It’s what caddies are paid to do – but not this caddy. Scott is my friend, and it wasn’t about the money – it was about pride. I was honored to be on the bag for the week, and for cris-sakes, we were going to finish strong – with finish being the key word. So a bottle of water later, and a birdie on the short par 3, 2nd hole – and it was a fist bump and a smile with the Scott I remembered from earlier in the week.
We were up and down more than Paris Hilton on a blind date (that’s an original line), but it was a great third round. Scott hit some incredible shots – one in particular on a short par 4, out of the rough, thru a couple of trees – that landed just over the bunker, below the hole. Now that’s what I’m talking about – we’re finishing strong. He asked my advice a little more – I think he was getting a little more comfortable – the only problem though, it was Sunday afternoon and we’re about done. He finished the 3rd round with a 1-over par 73 for a three-day total of 221. That’s 5-over par, and nowhere near his first Top 10 finish – but I didn’t care. Not in the least.
Now his only worry is how to get out of Baltimore and to back home to Payette – and not miss his flight. He’s got just over an hour to pull this off. On the last hole he said, I’m not going to spend a lot of time around the scoring trailer. So once I putt out, I need you to go put the clubs in the trunk of my rental car, pack up my stuff, then come back and get me. Scott is again so gracious, he’s not happy about his play – but you would never know it. He gives an autographed ball to the walking scorer and the standard bearer (he does this every round), tells them thanks (one lady, a first year volunteer actually wanted a hug, teared up, and said Scott was the nicest player she’d ever met) and signs anything that anyone throws in front of him on the way to the parking lot.
Scott goes to the clubhouse, clears out his locker, says thanks I’m sure to anyone and everyone he comes across and joins me in the parking lot with a check, a hand shake, a smile and says some very gracious words to me for taking on the bag this week and putting up with his swing and not-so-consistent play. Are you kidding me – this was a thrill for me. I enjoyed every step. Mark Twain once said golf was a good walk spoiled – he apparently never spent anytime with Scott Masingill on the Champions Tour like I did this week. My walk, or ride as the case may be was anything but spoiled – maybe a little wet and muddy – but nothing else. (Note to self: Send a thank you note to Ryan, Scott’s son and original caddy for taking that coaching job out in Oregon – if he hadn’t I would have just been a spectator for the weekend).
What to say – and when to say it. I took several things away with me as I pulled out of the Hayfields parking lot Sunday evening. First and foremost, a week’s worth of memories with Scott Masingill inside the ropes on the Champions Tour - the last tour event to be held at Hayfields Country Club, my first real paycheck as a tour caddy, an autographed golf ball from Arnold Palmer after he said this would be his last tournament ever, a Hayfields pin flag that I’m sending to Scott, for his signature – so I can frame it for my office, an old Constellation Energy Classic caddy bib to hang along side it for everyone to see, a tournament used Titleist Pro-V1X golf ball from Scott’s bag with his traditional silver line and red dot, a photo of us in the sand (actually mud) trap with a smile on our face hoping the sun would come out for the weekend, a new Hewlett-Packard digital camera (a gift from Tom Furlong during Thursday’s Pro-Am), a hankering to pick up the new Taylor Made driver to see if it will help me with extra yardage like it’s helped Scott, a desire to get my clubs re-gripped with the new C-Thru Grips (www.cthrugrips.com) with The Peninsula logo (www.peninsuladelaware.com), and my hope to one day visit Scott and Laurie out at Tamarack Resort in Idaho (www.tamarackidaho.com) for a fun day of golf, some lunch and spend a few hours catching up on life.
At this point, I’m not sure what Scott’s plans are in regards to his golf career. He might be frustrated today with his swing and the weekly results, event to event. After the tour re-shuffle at the end of the summer, it’s no fun being an alternate and last minute travel can be tiring, let alone expensive. But Scott, it’s just golf. You are able to live the dream on tour, week in and week out. Keep playing, keep a good swing thought, and make some putts. Don’t quit now, get ready for Q-School. You have the talent to be successful on The Champions Tour. When you need me again, send me an instant message or give me a call, I’ll be there in a heartbeat, no hesitation. What to say – and when to say it.
Monte Schisler
Osprey Meadows: There are 10 chances to hit sand off the tee on the 380-yard 16th in Idaho.
