ATLANTA -- If you thought Friday's round was a nightmare to caddie in ... ha!
Early start for an early finish had the guys playing in rain all day, again, on Saturday. With only nine players under par in Round 3, it shouldn't be hard imagine the talk in the caddie room after the round.
At least with this story, you won't have to imagine. Just remember the name of this "thing" I'm giving you. The caddies always remain anonymous so we always get the truth.
Collins: How miserable was it out there?
Caddie: I wish I was a duck.
Collins: You think ducks would've had fun?
Caddie: I think ducks would've gone inside. (laughing) It was uh, very, very wet. The umbrella up and down all day long. Jacket on, jacket off, put the jacket away. "Gimee my jacket." "Gimee the towel." "Put the umbrella over the ball." Do you want it over the ball? "No, I don't want it over the ball." It was a tough day.
Collins: Of all the challenges of these kinds of days, what's the hardest thing for you as the caddie?
Caddie: Knowing what your player wants you to do. I mean, it's tough to stick to a routine when it's raining. And if it's slighty raining, you don't know if you wanna stick to the real raining routine or ... I think that was the hardest thing, just making sure that he was dry, comfortable, and knowing where he wanted me on each shot.
Collins: How is the course holding up in all this rain we've gotten?
Caddie: The greens are perfect. We had some shots that weren't coming in very high, that still barely made a ball mark. So the greens held up beautifully. [All the rain] just made [the rough] harder to get out of. The fairways are soaked, but that's to be expected with that amount of rain. Overall, I thought the course, for as much rain as we've had, is still in really good condition. The greens are perfect.
Collins: For you today, what hole was the hardest to caddie?
Caddie: The [par-5] 15th. My feet are soaking wet, my socks are soaking wet, and it's straight uphill. The bag's heavy, it's just hard to get up the hill. He missed the green but chipped it close, so no stress for the caddie!
Collins: What was the one thing about the course today that caught you off guard?
Caddie: That the greens were firm or that the greens still had some speed and the ball still would release. They weren't even close to as wet as the fairways.
Collins: This late in the year, what can you say to your player to keep his head in the game?
Caddie: He just stares at me when I say something stupid. Like, "Really? Leave me alone. I know what I'm doing. I know I'm screwing up. Go away."
Collins: So with one more day to get through, what's the plan?
Caddie: Have fun. Ya know. Last day of the year, try to make it as enjoyable as possible. Keep him focused, keep it lighthearted. Ya know, it's not gonna be easy. That's the thing is that you can sit there and say you're gonna go out and try to play an amazing Sunday round, but this golf course, it's not doable right now. We're hitting 3-wood into a par-4, we hit hybrid into five different holes! One par-3 and four other par-4s ... so yeah, let's just have fun and fight through it.
Collins: Since we finished so early, what are you going to do late Saturday afternoon and evening to put yourself in a good mood?
Caddie: Hopefully watch the ______ cover [the spread]. I'm going to watch football all afternoon and all evening!
Collins: And your pro?
Caddie: He'll watch YouTube videos of golf swings cause he's sick! He's demented! [We're both laughing hysterically again.] Even this late in the year, he'll be thinking about that putt he missed on that one hole and try and figure out what he did wrong ... but at the same time, that's why he's good. That's why we try and tell 'em, "just let it go," but he's not gonna let it go. That's why he's good. [Then shrugs his shoulders.]
Collins: Is there anything enjoyable when caddying on a day like today?
Caddie: Finishing. [The caddie room explodes with laughter. Seems we've had some eavesdroppers.] So yes, there is something enjoyable.