The last time such a huge mob congregated here in Louisville, Kentucky, to catch a glimpse of a black man under the spotlight was thankfully in a forgotten era when lynchings were the norm. Anyone with an eye for poignant symbolism would have relished the sight on the first tee, soon after 9 a.m. on Thursday last at Valhalla for the 82nd PGA championship.
The pairing of Jack Nicklaus, Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods could not have been merely coincidental. Nicklaus in his 37th and final PGA looked like he was assuming the position of officially handing over the torch for golf's future to the new breed.
Jack shuffled through the sea of spectators massed around the walkways accepting cheers graciously if somewhat fatigued. Tiger strode purposefully amongst his worshippers as you would imagine a man with the world at his feet would do, though no less gracious than Jack. The cheers were still loudest for "The Bear". Tiger must wait a while before he reaches Jack's deafening height on the decibel level.
The trip from Europe to Kentucky is a tough one for those who played in Woburn the previous week. Although it was exceptionally hot in southern England, the heat in Valhalla at over 90 degrees and 100 per cent humidity was more difficult to deal with. In the home of that famous, fried chicken, the loopers here felt more like Kentucky fried caddies. The average intake of water per hole was about five guzzles; finding a toilet was not a problem, you didn't need to use one.
Travelling in August is not easy. Trying to find an available and affordable flight, impossible. The lure of the $5 million purse with $900,000 dollars for the winner is motivator enough for most caddies to bite the bullet of incurring excessive expenses for the final Major and make the trip despite the loss if they don't make the cut. Gone are the days when caddies don't travel anymore for financial reasons. It's worth the risk for the possible reward at the other end of a Major.
If a caddie doesn't make the trip, there seems to be a remarkable coincidence of the player doing well without his regular toter. The PGA last week was no exception. There were two caddies back in Britain watching the week's proceedings in agony, both mentally and physically. John McLaren is Scott Dunlap's regular cad but has been suffering with back trouble. He was advised to take some time to rest. His back is improving but he has been struggling mentally during the late-night coverage in England. Watching your player excelling on top of a Major leader board with someone else on the bag is hard to take. Dunlap's top 10 finish will leave John slightly less frustrated than Max Cunningham.
Max spent the PGA week in England undergoing tests for an irregular heart beat. I would imagine that his ticker was working overtime late on Sunday night. Max spent an agonising night watching his regular man, Bob May, being guided flawlessly by his stand-in Steve Kaye. Steve is a regular tour caddie in the States who breeds parakeets when he is not looping. He has been working for last year's US amateur champion, David Gossett, in anticipation of him turning pro. He may have a career decision to make after last week's performance.
Of course, one's misfortune is another's good luck. Jimmy Johnson, who has been caddying for Carlos Franco since April of this year, was informed by his Paraguayan boss that he was taking his brother, Sebastian, as his caddie for the PGA and the World Series of Golf in Akron this week. This is not what a caddie wants to hear for two of the biggest tournaments of the year. Jimmy does seem to be having the last laugh. He was sacked by Nick Price in March of this year and ended up on Franco's winning bag a month later in New Orleans. If you manage to get onto another top bag without too much delay then sackings are not always a bad thing.
The philosophy down in the caddie shack is: when there is a "jockey change", get a bet on as soon as possible on the new or temporary partnership having a top finish; I hope Max at least had a wager on his boss. It has happened with frightening repetition in the past. A couple of weeks ago in Sweden, Micheal Campbell finished second with a substitute caddie at his side. There has not been a study carried out by psychologists on this phenomenon yet, but as it has happened frequently in the past, it might be worth examining.
Max and John are not alone in their frustration at not being where they would like to be. Dave McNeilly is in a similar situation having been refused entry into the States. Not that Padraig Harrington had a top finish last week, but more annoying for Dave is he will miss out in Akron next week where there is guaranteed money and an opportunity to make bundles.
If you want to put the sacked or absent caddie theory to the test, then try a wager on Vijay Singh for a top finish at Akron this week. He has just parted company with his long-serving porter, Dave Renwick. I'm off to the bookies.
