Focus one of Watson's greatest assets
You don't get calls very often to work for legends. My buddy Todd Newcomb called the week before the Senior PGA Championship and asked if I'd like to work for Tom Watson. Neil "Ox" Oxman, Tom's odd-year caddy, had some health issues and couldn't make it, so the eight-time major winner needed someone on the bag for the week.
It wasn't a done deal; Watson asked for a few names and said he would make the call. My name was in the hat; I waited impatiently for a few days, then got the call.
"Hello Mark, this is Tom Watson. I understand you would like to caddy for me next week at the Senior PGA. Ox can't make it," he said.
I controlled my trembling voice, managed some small talk and made plans to meet him around noon Tuesday. This might be that big one every caddie dreams about; I was excited and couldn't thank Todd enough. I had some doubts about my physical condition but I knew the adrenaline would soothe what ails me. Walking the fairways with a legend gets the blood flowing; my old creaky body would be fine.
Monday afternoon I walked Canterbury Golf Club with Todd and picked his brain. He has worked for Watson off and on the past four years; I wanted to find out Tom's nuances and make sure I had the proper information for a smooth round. We walked and talked, checked out the fairways and greens, and Todd explained what types of information Tom would request during the round. Just the basic facts and numbers were necessary; Todd said Tom liked to keep things as simple as possible.
My memories from the 1996 U.S. Open at Canterbury weren't very good. Hopefully this week would erase memories of my old boss Bob Murphy's broken driver lying on the practice tee. Dave Stockton, Murph, and numerous players and caddies reminded me about the incident. Tom brushed it off when it was brought up and I tried to hush everyone. You don't want your new employer, especially a legend, hearing about your major screwups.
We played the Tuesday pro-am with the Food Channel's Iron Chef Michael Simon and his entourage. They say if you want to get to know someone, play a round of golf together. From the get-go there was good-natured bantering and jibes thrown in every direction. Tom gave and received the jabs; we had a lot of fun. Tom and Michael exchanged recipes for golf lessons; there was more cooking talk than golf. Tom was naturally interested and spent a lot of time interacting with everyone. He was always involved with the crowd, volunteers, caddies and amateurs; you could tell he was enjoying himself. The legend seemed to be a good ol' Midwestern boy.
We got a good look at the course but this 1921 classic venue with its blind tee shots, sloping fairways and undulating greens needed some more attention. Tom had been on the go for the past month and told me he wouldn't be out before 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The caddie job description states I must be there at 9:30 and wait patiently. Tom showed up about noon and during my wait I realized I was working for someone special.
While I was standing next to Tom's bag outside the clubhouse, everyone who walked by had a question about Tom. Every generation stopped by Tom's bag, gazed at the name, peered at the clubs and wanted to know when he would be out. They wanted to be there for his practice round; they wanted to follow a legend around the course.
There were many questions I couldn't honestly answer and after awhile I turned the bag around, hiding the name to avoid all the attention. I don't enjoy the limelight, but this week I had to deal with it.
We headed for the practice tee to shake off the rust. Max and Jerry, Adams reps, worked a bit with Tom's swing trying to get it comfortable at the top and a smooth transition through the strike zone. We weren't the only ones watching. Whenever Tom would start down the practice tee steps, the gallery would gather behind us and the volunteers would find something to do in the immediate area. Everyone wanted to watch one of the prettiest swings in golf.
When we got to the first tee, a club pro was waiting. Tom politely introduced himself and asked if there was room for another. Gary Sewlinski and his caddie couldn't believe their eyes; they were going to play a practice round with a legend. After the first few holes they realized this legend was just "one of the guys." Stories were told, lessons were learned and new friendships were started during the round; a club pro and a five-time British Open champion enjoying each other's company.
Whenever there was a hole that needed a little dissecting, Tom questioned numbers off the tee, shot lines, fairway slopes and yardages. He explained he wanted a clear picture of each hole so he could play within his limits. Accurate numbers and sight lines were important for confident shot-making so we made some adjustments and made sure everything was comfortable. Canterbury wasn't a long course, but you had to shape your shots and position your ball precisely off the tee to avoid the long bluegrass rough.
Wednesday evening we proclaimed ourselves ready for our early Thursday tee time with Jay Haas and Hal Sutton. The A-game wasn't with us in Round 1; we bogeyed two out of the first three holes, but the old pro focused on every shot and battled throughout the round, managing a 72 which kept us in the ballgame.
After the round we headed for the putting green and Tom wanted me to take a look at his stroke. Me, looking at Tom Watson's putting stroke and giving him some advice? It's part of the job and we discussed just getting comfortable, forgetting about mechanics, and letting your natural athletic ability take over. I think it helped him relax a bit.
Friday was a better day. The ballstriking was crisper and the putts were falling until our last hole. We were sitting at even par coming to the par-3 ninth and Tom placed a 7-iron about 20 feet above the hole.
Even legends four-putt. I blame myself a bit because I didn't speak up on the third putt. Usually I'd tell my pro, "Take your time, relax, go through your routine" ... something like that, but I choked and couldn't spit it out. The third putt fell short and left; Tom didn't utter a word or express any emotion. He just walked to the scorer's tent and took care of his card like a true professional. In golf, these things happen once in awhile, even to legends.
Four over after 36 holes left us in the middle of the pack and paired Saturday with James Mason and Gene Jones, both longtime mini-tour players who have done well on the Champions Tour. A nice crowd gathered at the first tee. Greg Norman and Hale Irwin were in front of us; there were a few majors in those two groups.
During a round, Tom doesn't ask for a lot of help choosing a club and there isn't a lot of conversation when preparing for a shot. But in between swings, the talk might drift from sports to family to politics to hunting or fishing. His focus while over the shot is intense, but there is time to enjoy the walk in between. He's a country boy who enjoys nature; the hawks soaring over the course caught his eye a few times.
We managed an even-par round and leapfrogged a dozen players, leaving us in position to do some damage Sunday. The butterflies gathered in my stomach Saturday evening but by Sunday morning they were flying in formation. One shot at a time. I tried to stay focused and not get too excited when we birdied two out of the first three holes. The crowd was swelling and there were shouts of, "Come on Tom, you can do it!"
We had a wait on the fourth tee. Tom started up a conversation with our playing partner's son about the finer points of Popsicles. We're in the hunt for a major championship and Tom's talking Popsicles with an 18-year-old! This moment spoke volumes about Tom Watson, the person. The putts continued to drop and going into the 12th hole we were 3 shots out of the lead. The crowd was enormous and we finally hit the 12th green for the first time.
While reading the putt, we talked about perseverance and how very important it is to a good round of golf. The excitement was growing; this putt was crucial. I gave it my best look but it was wrong. Tom's first read was breaking a bit right and I had it going left. We played it straight and the putt fell to the right. My heart sank and then we missed the comeback putt.
On the next tee I said, "My fault," but the focus was on the next shot. Another three-putt meant our chances of winning were slim, but Tom kept grinding.
He talked about his putting woes under pressure and got it out of his system while we were walking off the 14th tee. A little pep talk and we were ready for the last five holes. A lot of players would have folded after back-to-back bogeys. You don't win eight majors with that attitude; anything can happen in this game.
A missed fairway on the par-5 15th forced us to lay up, and Tom had a 5-footer for birdie. The previous short misses were forgotten and he ran it right in the heart of the cup.
Nos. 16 and 17 were difficult with the swirling winds but we managed pars, and on No. 18 Tom knocked a smooth 5-iron from a hanging lie in the rough to about 2 feet. He tapped in the birdie, walked off the green with a broad smile, and acknowledged the crowd while he was gazing at the scoreboard. We were tied for fifth with five other players and finished even par for the tournament in solo fourth. The 66 on Sunday was low round for the day. Perseverance was rewarded.
We exchanged pleasantries after the round and he thanked me for working on such short notice. I told him I was honored and would do it again anytime if the old guy, Ox, couldn't make it. The week went well. There were a few caddie mistakes, but I never heard one mention of caddie error from Tom. It was an honor caddying for a legend, but it was even a greater experience witnessing the person.
Golf has been very good to Tom, but he has been even better for the game and its fans. There were a lot of kids who got autographs, a smile and tousled hair from Tom. The volunteers received sincere thanks after the round and the spectators got a wink or a nod as he passed close to the gallery ropes. I watched many fathers point out Tom to their kids and could tell they were talking about one of their heroes.
He's definitely one of mine now; I hope I get the chance to stroll the fairways again with him. A fourth-place finish at a major isn't bad, and I'd like to think I helped a bit, but I know deep down a good player always makes a caddie look good. Thanks for the week, Tom. It was a lot of fun.
Mark Huber has a golf blog at www.MarksKaddyKorner.com and can be contacted at markskaddykorner@gmail.com.
