For talking too much, for talking too little, for choosing the wrong club, for fussing too much, or simply “because.”
Some players like to change caddies every three months – just to get some new sensation. Some caddies overestimate their importance, and it may take more than one month to realize this.
However, we must not forget about the other side of the medal, which fans hardly pay much attention to. Caddies can fire players too. Such a story happened to one famous golfer who earned more than $20 million in his career.
This happened several years ago, at a not very successful period in his career. He completed the cut more often than the season before, but by his standards he was still on the decline. On Tuesday one of the weeks when the next tournament was scheduled, the caddy, with whom he had worked for more than one year, said that they needed to talk. He revealed that a player close to making the FedEx Cup and other major events offered him a job.
This news broke out like a bolt from the blue. Recent weeks have been unsuccessful, but the player did not expect this. At the same time, many caddies and players in a similar situation simply send a text message, and here at least a personal conversation took place. In addition, he said that he knows a caddy who is out of work now and who, in his opinion, may be suitable – at least for this week. This helped not to be in a very dire situation. However, this moment became a kind of bell for a golfer who knew success at big tournaments.
At the 2007 Canadian Open, Jay Williamson’s caddy, Mike Mollet, threw his balls into the water and hurried out after 14 holes. Who fired whom in this situation is a moot point, but everyone knew that their relationship was getting worse day by day.
Golf for professional golfers is a business, not a place to grieve. Holding a rock in your bosom against your ex-caddy or the player who hired him will only harm your game.
It is also important to remember that the fate of the caddies is more uncertain than the fate of the players. They always hang out in the parking lot during qualifications, hang on the phone, find out who was injured, who was left without a caddy today – they do everything to get a job.
Their question is “How much does it weigh?” means how much they will be paid.
Now the average salary of a caddy per week on the PGA Tour is from 1300 to 1800 dollars. Some of the players pay according to the “5-7-10” scheme (5 percent of the check for passing a kata, 7 for a place in the top 10 and 10 for a win), although the option “8% of any check” is becoming more common. So if a player gets 377 thousand for finishing in the top five, then the caddy earns about 32 thousand. Some 15 or 20 of the strongest golfers in the world pay caddies all year long, including various bonuses in their income.
And, of course, no one has the right to hold a caddy. If offered a job by Jordan Spieth or Rory Mcilroy, then he must be a psycho to refuse it. And there will be no bitter feelings.
