ATLANTA -- The first round is in the books at the Tour Championship. What was it really like out there for the guys carrying the bags? Today's caddie has been to East Lake Golf Club before, and we laughed and recalled times when we knew things were our fault, and how desperately a caddie will want to get another shot at doing it right. I think you're all going to like today's Caddie Confidential.
As always, the caddie is not named to allow for the most revealing answers possible. Enjoy!
Michael Collins: What was good about the golf course today?
Caddie: Everything. I mean it's a fantastic layout, the course is in unbelievable condition. It's very Augusta-esque to me.
Collins: Why?
Caddie: The fairways are unbelievable. The greens are (he looks off and pauses searching for the words). I mean they looked a little bit soft in the first couple of days, Tuesday-Wednesday, but they've got a lovely sheen to them now (he has a sly grin on his face saying this part) if you've got a downhiller ... All our goal was today was to keep the ball theoretically under the hole as [much as] possible.
Collins: We heard early this week how brutal the rough was; how tough was it?
Caddie: Well [my player] only missed [a few] fairways today. And [the fairways we missed] were chip-outs ... because we were behind trees. But yeah, I totally agree with you [about the rough]. It's that real thin stuff, so the ball just drops to the bottom every time.
Collins: What was the most challenging aspect of the course in Round 1?
Caddie: Just keeping it under the hole. That was our goal going in, I mean we preferred to just leave it short or hitting it in a bunker short rather than going [long]. Like No. 2 for example. In between clubs for him, we hit the wrong club. I should have grown some [stones] and said "That one." He only had a 20- to 30-footer down the hill, but it was near impossible, you know? Brutal.
Collins: What's that like when you're in between clubs?
Caddie: I think if you cover that base straight away in talking about it and say, "Look, there's nothing wrong with hitting it in this bunker here short." Then he can take that information and he can tell you to go away, in a nice way, or he'll say, "Actually, you could be right there." Like on No. 10, he hit a 7-iron. But then on No. 11, [at a similar distance], I talked him into a 6-iron.
Collins: Which hole today was the toughest to caddie?
Caddie: No. 16 I think. I never liked it. [It's a downhill par 4, 481 yards and ranked fifth-toughest in the first round.] It's a hole where you really do need to hit the fairway, but everything goes against you. The fairway slopes left to right ... and every area that we talked about; keep it short, keep it short. We let one bounce over the back! [Laughing] We hit a lovely shot, got it up and down, so you won't ever hear about it again. Now could I have heard something if that 4 was a 5? Hell yeah.
Collins: We might not be laughing about it.
Caddie: Sure! But he played beautifully today, and like I say, when these guys play like that, you leave them in the bag. What's the [club]? Here you go, and off they go.
Collins: Yeah it's easy to caddie when a guy is playing well.
Caddie: Tomorrow could be a different can of fish.
Collins: Knowing the forecast of rain for tomorrow, how much more difficult will caddying this course be?
Caddie: For me, if it's wet, it makes this golf course easier.
Collins: [Surprised] Why?
Caddie: Well if it's softer, I mean you're throwing darts a little bit more. When you get a little release and what have you, and a little fall off here and there [shrugs] ... Obviously if it does get wet then spin comes into it a little bit more with the wedges and stuff. I think it makes it easier if it rains, so there could be some ridiculous numbers this week.
Collins: So what would be a good score?
Caddie: These guys are so good they play good in even tough conditions now. Somebody always shoots 65. Always. Doesn't matter how tough it is, even if you're in Scotland walking with the umbrella sideways. Somebody's always gonna shoot 65.