Caddie Network

A heated caddie debate on Twitter, and a brutally honest review from C.T. Pan

Luke Kerr-Dineen
Tommy Fleetwood
Tommy Fleetwood got in on a Twitter spat over the weekend to defend players who use a friend as a caddie. Fleetwood uses his friend, Ian Finnis, and their results have been quite good. Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Happy Monday, to one and to all. Grab a coffee and get seated as we run through some of the most interesting, entertaining and enlightening caddie-related moments over the past week.

TWITTER FIGHT!

A feisty golf twitter argument erupted over the weekend and extended, which is weird, because people so rarely argue with each other on social media.

It all started when Justin Rose’s former coach and current Sky Sports golf analyst, Nick Bradley, shared a tweet that seemed to question golfers who choose not to hire an “expert” caddie.

Tommy Fleetwood, who’s been very open about how employing his best friend as his caddie helped lift him out of a slump, immediately took issue with the tweet, as did fellow European Tour player Eddie Pepperell.

Despite the bombast of Bradley’s original tweet, I do think the point he’s making is an interesting one. Are golfers who hire a friend playing at a disadvantage against players who opt for more experienced hands?

You could make that argument, but in truth, there is no singular answer. Players look for different things from their caddies; some need deep course management expertise, others need help staying loose; some simply want a caddie who carries their bag. Most want a balance.

A caddie-player duo is more than a team. It’s a relationship. There’s no one template to follow, and in the case of Fleetwood, the results speak for themselves.

Poulter’s first tournament

Speaking of caddie-player relationships, Joshua Poulter seems to have formed a close one with his caddie, Ian. The European Ryder Cup hero took the weekend to caddie for his son during his first tournament and helped him onto a second-place finish. And better yet, they got an adorable picture to show for it.

RIP C.T. Pan

On the flip side of that coin, let’s all spare a thought for PGA Tour player C.T. Pan, who will be spending the foreseeable future in the dog house.

Pan’s wife, Michelle, caddied for him this week at the Wyndham Championship and helped C.T. onto an impressive T-2 finish. Wait, did I say helped? I meant didn’t help. That’s not my opinion, that’s C.T.’s own brutally honest take on his wife’s performance.

“She didn’t help me much,” he said. “She just needs to show up, keep up and shut up.”

Ouch.

Pure dedication

And finally, let’s show some love to Thorbjorn Olesen’s caddie, Dominic Bott. With Olesen on the cusp of a Ryder Cup berth, Bott knows that every shot counts, which is why when Thorbjorn’s ball funneled into a rabbit hole, there was only one thing for him to do.

Total dedication to his craft. Have to respect it.

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