Caddie's Role: Du Page regional airport in the western suburbs of Chicago at 6.30 am last Monday morning was suffering from the hangover of a mass exodus the previous night after the world's best golfer captured his third PGA title. The circus members and their entourages had left town in their private jets by now and there were only a few stragglers left over.
I was meeting Retief to fly with him to Pinehurst, North Carolina, for a two-day event involving him and Gary McCord. The show goes on and despite the intensity of a major there are business commitments to keep.
The first plane to land was a turbo-prop owned by the Home Depot chain of DIY stores which fly their skilled employees about the country to offer their expertise at their various branches nationwide. So a troop of what looked like carpenters descended upon the Du Page terminal with tools hanging out of their work bags. An unusual sight amongst the normally well-heeled looking clientele at the private terminals (apart from a few bedraggled golf caddies).
Dave Pelz, the short game guru had been at Medinah with his protégé Phil Mickelson. He wandered in, in search of his jet which was due to take him on business east to New York. Guards are down on these casual meetings at private airfields. He spoke to McCord about his star pupil whom he had talked up in the press pre PGA. What I heard this time was the truth which was not meant for the press, so I had better not divulge. The crux of the message was that his best boy was relying way too much on all he had taught him about getting his ball up and down from seemingly impossible situations.
Retief , Gary, myself and Matt, McCord's bagman nestled into the chartered Lear Jet and headed south east to the Carolinas for the pre-event pro-am. As you make the final approach to the local airfield you quickly realize gazing out the window that this is "golfville". It looked like you could play about 800 different holes in a row cut through the sprawling pine forests of North Carolina. With the eight different courses at the Pinehurst golf complex I am only slightly exaggerating.
The "People's Major", known as the "People Against the Pro" event has gone on for the past three years. It is a competition whereby amateurs play three qualifying rounds in the under 50 and over 50 category. The winner of the younger category got to play 18 holes matchplay last Tuesday on the Pinehurst No 8 course against Retief. The older victor went head to head with the Salvadore Daliesque McCord.
John Daly played in the past but came up against what we call in the trade a "bandit" a couple of years back (an amateur masquerading off a handicap that does not reflect the quality of his play). Daly shot 66 and was beaten three and two by a putative double digit handicapper. The selection procedure of the players and handicaps was more stringent this year.
Retief played against Greg, a Home Depot manager, and sent his man back to the clubhouse after 16 holes. The pro's dignity remained intact at this year's Pinehurst challenge.
It was all played in good spirit even if it was a little hammed up for the television coverage. On our arrival on Monday morning we got to drop our bags at the colonial-style Carolina Hotel and move swiftly to the course for a pro-am with 40 expectant amateurs. A few holes with each group and five and a half hours later we are back at the Carolina hotel for a banquet and some pre-match banter.
We ate breakfast to the suave sound of a pianist tickling the ivories with a soft jazz theme to his repertoire. Golf in America is played in the main on gas carts as not many amateurs walk the course. A stipulation of this event was that the winners walk the course. This was a problem for Retief's opponent as he was a little over-weight. Given the heat of North Carolina in August he was sounding and looking a little the worst for wear after an hour's golfing.
Despite Retief's suggestion that he should use a gas cart after he noticed his discomfort, Greg persisted on foot; he was not going to forfeit the chance to compete and walk with a US Open champion.
Our fleeting visit to Pinehurst brought back some vivid memories of the US Open last year where we squandered a three-shot lead going into the final round. Thankfully, McCord timed his story well about meeting the legendary Bobby Locke and distracted us from any gloomy reminiscence. He had met the South African golfer at the bar of the Carolina Hotel back in the 1970s. He described a crusty old gentleman sitting at the bar enjoying a suitably crusty old drink. McCord was slugging beer. They both had had their fill when McCord realised who he was talking to. Locke was one of the best putters of his era, but he had a unique "hook" action stroke which rendered every putt a right to lefter for him no matter what the slope.
McCord persuaded him to go to the putting green to show him his action, He duly obliged and McCord said sure enough he hit every putt he presented him with a hard right to left spin. By the time he completed his tale we had arrived at the jet which took us to Akron, Ohio, where Retief was competing in the Bridgestone last week and McCord was commentating.
A jumbo jet was parked to the side of the runway as we landed at the relatively small Akron/Canton airport. Compared to the bulk of the Boeing, the plane we arrived in was like a fly landing beside an elephant. As the baggage handlers unloaded our luggage, McCord inquired about the jumbo.
They told him it belonged to Ernest Ainsley. "Oh no, I don't believe it, not Ernest Ainsley," he groaned.
I had no idea who he was.
"He is a preacher," the cringing McCord moaned. "I thought I was doing well until I saw that jumbo, I couldn't afford to taxi that to the runway let alone get it air-born".
McCordhad been feeling quite content with his little junket to Pinehurst until Ainsley's jumbo cast a shadow on the runway.
