Simon Owen tees off in the playoff against England’s Peter Oosterhuis for the 1974 German Open
Following a surreal finish to my initial year caddying on the 1973 European Tour (outlined here) I returned to New Zealand, by then fixed on the idea of returning to Europe in 1974.
I had met a fascinating lady on the evening of the final round of the World Match Play which certainly played a role in my desire to return to Britain but the excitement of the World Match Play and the chance to caddy for Graham Marsh in the three or four events he would play in Europe in 1974 was perhaps more of an influence.
I would also re-establish the working arrangement with Bob Shearer who I had last caddied for in early September of the previous year although I, of course, had seen him during the events in New Zealand.
Back in New Zealand, I and Michael Glading, a new-found friend from the 1972 New Zealand Tour, hit the road to caddy in events in Dunedin, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Auckland and Tauranga.
After several years living in South Africa, Michael had appeared at the Otago Charity Classic in Dunedin late in 1972 to caddy for family friend, Bob Charles, and we hit it off straight away and became travelling companions for the 1973 / 1974 New Zealand events and have remained friends since.
Michael experienced his first taste of winning as a caddie when Charles won the New Zealand Open at Palmerston North that year and my boss, John Lister, won both the Garden City Classic (Christchurch) and the Otago Charity Classic (Dunedin) so we were having a lot of fun.
Once the New Zealand circuit was completed, however, I began to think how I could earn some money to underwrite my return to Britain in late April and, with a sister and her husband living in Invercargill in New Zealand’s south, I decided to explore the possibility of work at the Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter near Bluff.
Tiwai Point – not exactly fun but the money was good
I managed to secure a gig there for 10 weeks and headed south. Again, the role was hardly an exciting one as I essentially laboured on the potlines, but the money was brilliant and the opportunity to work a double shift on occasions further assisted in that regard.
I headed for Britain in late April with my first event in Worthing on the south coast of England. There, I caddied for Australian, Stewart Ginn, but on Bob Shearer’s return I caddied for him in Coventry, Harrogate and Dublin before the arrangement Graham Marsh and I had discussed to team up at the Open Championship eventuated.
Marsh played in practice rounds with Jack Nicklaus, Miller Barber, Bruce Devlin and David Graham amongst others at Royal Lytham & St Annes and many were considering him a great chance to win, so well was he playing prior to event getting underway.
Any such hopes were soon put to bed however when he opened with a round of 79 and although he played all 72 holes, he finished well back. I think it was a case of over-preparation (too many practice rounds ahead of the event) and have often thought since that there is a real danger in that.
During that week Bob Charles had spoken to me and asked if I was available to caddy for him in Sweden and Switzerland in the following two weeks and, although I had initially been unsure about heading to Sweden, when he asked me to do both events I jumped at the chance.
I spoke to Bob Shearer about it all as there was the thought that I would be caddying for him, but he very kindly gave me his blessing as he had not been playing well. It was arranged that Shearer and I would join up again in Germany three weeks later and, so, the day after The Open I was on a ferry / ship from Harwich on England’s east coast to Esbjerg in Denmark.
On landing in Esbjerg, we drove the car of one of the players, whose caddy had been tasked with delivering it at each of the destinations for the events in Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and Holland, across Denmark to Copenhagen and onto the ferry (there’s a bridge there now) across to Malmo in Southern Sweden.
Charles finished 6th there behind the 11-shot winner, Tony Jacklin, and so we were again on the move via a ferry to Puttgarden in the north of Germany and the long drive across Germany and through the mountains by train to Crans-sur-Sierre in Switzerland.
Crans-sur-Sierre is a stunning alpine ski resort alongside the more familiar Crans Montana. It sits high above the Rhone Valley with simply breathtaking views from every angle. I had seen it, first, the previous year but despite being raised in New Zealand’s South Island where spectacular scenery prevails, I was again captured by its majestic surrounds.
In the winter the golf course acts as beginner slopes for the ski resort and in the summer it has played host to the Swiss Open or its equivalent since 1939.
A typical backdrop from the Crans sur Sierre Golf Club
Charles began well but trailed the halfway leader, Dale Hayes, by five shots heading into the weekend. A third round of 67 had him sharing the lead with Hayes and Belgian Donald Swaelens and one ahead of the 1969 Open Champion and 1970 US Open winner, Tony Jacklin.
Hayes dropped away in the final round and it would be Jacklin who provided the biggest threat. Charles led by one playing the last and I can recall him asking me how far it was for his approach at the last and after being told it was 129 yards he would say when it was in the air; “Well that feels to me like 129 yards.”
It finished six feet or so exactly pin high and right of the hole and although he missed the putt, he had done enough to win by one over Jacklin with Hayes three shots further away in 3rd place.
As a New Zealander, whose early golfing hero was Bob Charles, to have caddied for him in winning an event in Europe was amazingly pleasing but more was to come.
The final hole of the Swiss Open – It was a great thrill to caddy for a childhood hero in such a significant win
As I sat around waiting for Charles to wrap up his media commitments, I began to think about what I might do the following week. Shearer had advised he would not play in Germany but, rather, he was to head back to London to spend time with his girlfriend and now wife Kathie and would see me next in Holland for the Dutch Open.
I had thought of the idea of taking a week off in Germany but soon realised I was getting a little carried away and saw New Zealander, Simon Owen, and asked what his plans for a caddie the following week were.
Owen was in his first season in Europe and had been doing quite well but, although he was making cuts, he was not making any big cheques and had reached a point where money was becoming an issue.
I had caddied for him in an Under 25 event in Bristol earlier in the year where he did well and had actually shared an apartment with he and Australian Peter Croker in Knightsbridge in London for a while. So we knew each other well but he was unsure whether he could afford a ‘tour caddie’ and would think about it and let me know.
Twenty minutes later he sought me out and we agreed on a fee that would cover at least some of my expenses and so it was off to Krefeld in Germany, again via car and the train line through the mountains (we put the car on the train), for the 1974 German Open.
Owen began the event brilliantly and led through 36 holes. As a sideline, in those opening two rounds he played with a young German kid (then 16) who would turn out pretty good (Bernhard Langer), although that week, in his debut in his national open, Langer missed the cut by many, many shots.
Owen kept the momentum going in round three and took a one-shot lead over Dales Hayes into the final day although European Tour superstar, Peter Oosterhuis was lurking three off the pace.
This was a day full of pressure for Owen as not only did he have a potential title at stake he had the chance to cement his place in Europe for the immediate future and I have to say I was so full of admiration as to the way he went about his business especially for one so relatively inexperienced.
Oosterhuis was closing fast, however, and signed for a final round 66 in the group ahead to set the mark and when Owen stood in the middle of the final fairway he asked me if I could confirm the situation as even though the leaderboard said one thing, Simon wanted to be sure.
I advised he was now tied for the lead and when he hit a lovely shot to the middle of the green and two-putted he was into a playoff against the Englishman.
Despite his incredible success, Oosterhuis had a bit of a reputation for blocking shots under real pressure and that is exactly what he did when attempting to follow a superb drive by Owen at the first extra hole. He found the trees and when the 23 year old Owen went on to birdie the par five it was all over.
It was a most satisfying moment for me to have been able to caddy for two different New Zealanders in consecutive weeks in their respective wins in Switzerland and Germany.
I was somewhat disappointed when I later found an excerpt from The World of Professional Golf for 1974, written by Michael Williams, which was so blatantly wrong
It read: “The New Zealander handled the 14th safely but failed to get his birdies on the long holes and was not helped as he stood over a 20 footer for birdie on the last green by his caddie’s observation that he needed the putt to win. He missed and went into a playoff with Oosterhuis.”
Neither Simon nor I recall anything of the sort. That is journalistic license for you, I guess. Never let the truth spoil a good story.
Don’t think for a moment I was getting wealthy as a result of this dream run. It helped, for sure, but when Charles won in Switzerland he earned a first prize of around £4750 and Owen £2670 for his victory.
Victories in equivalent events now are worth nearly 100 times that amount. While there is a certain level of relativity in the disparity of those figures between then and now, the growth in prizemoney in world golf since, has been exponential.
And, so, it was off to Hilversum in Holland for the Dutch Open and the return of my regular bag, Bob Shearer.
That is a whole new story and one I will go into in another piece.
Back to Back N.Z. wins in Switzerland and Germany
Simon Owen tees off in the playoff against England’s Peter Oosterhuis for the 1974 German Open
Following a surreal finish to my initial year caddying on the 1973 European Tour (outlined here) I returned to New Zealand, by then fixed on the idea of returning to Europe in 1974.
I had met a fascinating lady on the evening of the final round of the World Match Play which certainly played a role in my desire to return to Britain but the excitement of the World Match Play and the chance to caddy for Graham Marsh in the three or four events he would play in Europe in 1974 was perhaps more of an influence.
I would also re-establish the working arrangement with Bob Shearer who I had last caddied for in early September of the previous year although I, of course, had seen him during the events in New Zealand.
Back in New Zealand, I and Michael Glading, a new-found friend from the 1972 New Zealand Tour, hit the road to caddy in events in Dunedin, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Auckland and Tauranga.
After several years living in South Africa, Michael had appeared at the Otago Charity Classic in Dunedin late in 1972 to caddy for family friend, Bob Charles, and we hit it off straight away and became travelling companions for the 1973 / 1974 New Zealand events and have remained friends since.
Michael experienced his first taste of winning as a caddie when Charles won the New Zealand Open at Palmerston North that year and my boss, John Lister, won both the Garden City Classic (Christchurch) and the Otago Charity Classic (Dunedin) so we were having a lot of fun.
Once the New Zealand circuit was completed, however, I began to think how I could earn some money to underwrite my return to Britain in late April and, with a sister and her husband living in Invercargill in New Zealand’s south, I decided to explore the possibility of work at the Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter near Bluff.
Tiwai Point – not exactly fun but the money was good
I managed to secure a gig there for 10 weeks and headed south. Again, the role was hardly an exciting one as I essentially laboured on the potlines, but the money was brilliant and the opportunity to work a double shift on occasions further assisted in that regard.
I headed for Britain in late April with my first event in Worthing on the south coast of England. There, I caddied for Australian, Stewart Ginn, but on Bob Shearer’s return I caddied for him in Coventry, Harrogate and Dublin before the arrangement Graham Marsh and I had discussed to team up at the Open Championship eventuated.
Marsh played in practice rounds with Jack Nicklaus, Miller Barber, Bruce Devlin and David Graham amongst others at Royal Lytham & St Annes and many were considering him a great chance to win, so well was he playing prior to event getting underway.
Any such hopes were soon put to bed however when he opened with a round of 79 and although he played all 72 holes, he finished well back. I think it was a case of over-preparation (too many practice rounds ahead of the event) and have often thought since that there is a real danger in that.
During that week Bob Charles had spoken to me and asked if I was available to caddy for him in Sweden and Switzerland in the following two weeks and, although I had initially been unsure about heading to Sweden, when he asked me to do both events I jumped at the chance.
I spoke to Bob Shearer about it all as there was the thought that I would be caddying for him, but he very kindly gave me his blessing as he had not been playing well. It was arranged that Shearer and I would join up again in Germany three weeks later and, so, the day after The Open I was on a ferry / ship from Harwich on England’s east coast to Esbjerg in Denmark.
On landing in Esbjerg, we drove the car of one of the players, whose caddy had been tasked with delivering it at each of the destinations for the events in Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and Holland, across Denmark to Copenhagen and onto the ferry (there’s a bridge there now) across to Malmo in Southern Sweden.
Charles finished 6th there behind the 11-shot winner, Tony Jacklin, and so we were again on the move via a ferry to Puttgarden in the north of Germany and the long drive across Germany and through the mountains by train to Crans-sur-Sierre in Switzerland.
Crans-sur-Sierre is a stunning alpine ski resort alongside the more familiar Crans Montana. It sits high above the Rhone Valley with simply breathtaking views from every angle. I had seen it, first, the previous year but despite being raised in New Zealand’s South Island where spectacular scenery prevails, I was again captured by its majestic surrounds.
In the winter the golf course acts as beginner slopes for the ski resort and in the summer it has played host to the Swiss Open or its equivalent since 1939.
A typical backdrop from the Crans sur Sierre Golf Club
Charles began well but trailed the halfway leader, Dale Hayes, by five shots heading into the weekend. A third round of 67 had him sharing the lead with Hayes and Belgian Donald Swaelens and one ahead of the 1969 Open Champion and 1970 US Open winner, Tony Jacklin.
Hayes dropped away in the final round and it would be Jacklin who provided the biggest threat. Charles led by one playing the last and I can recall him asking me how far it was for his approach at the last and after being told it was 129 yards he would say when it was in the air; “Well that feels to me like 129 yards.”
It finished six feet or so exactly pin high and right of the hole and although he missed the putt, he had done enough to win by one over Jacklin with Hayes three shots further away in 3rd place.
As a New Zealander, whose early golfing hero was Bob Charles, to have caddied for him in winning an event in Europe was amazingly pleasing but more was to come.
The final hole of the Swiss Open – It was a great thrill to caddy for a childhood hero in such a significant win
As I sat around waiting for Charles to wrap up his media commitments, I began to think about what I might do the following week. Shearer had advised he would not play in Germany but, rather, he was to head back to London to spend time with his girlfriend and now wife Kathie and would see me next in Holland for the Dutch Open.
I had thought of the idea of taking a week off in Germany but soon realised I was getting a little carried away and saw New Zealander, Simon Owen, and asked what his plans for a caddie the following week were.
Owen was in his first season in Europe and had been doing quite well but, although he was making cuts, he was not making any big cheques and had reached a point where money was becoming an issue.
I had caddied for him in an Under 25 event in Bristol earlier in the year where he did well and had actually shared an apartment with he and Australian Peter Croker in Knightsbridge in London for a while. So we knew each other well but he was unsure whether he could afford a ‘tour caddie’ and would think about it and let me know.
Twenty minutes later he sought me out and we agreed on a fee that would cover at least some of my expenses and so it was off to Krefeld in Germany, again via car and the train line through the mountains (we put the car on the train), for the 1974 German Open.
Owen began the event brilliantly and led through 36 holes. As a sideline, in those opening two rounds he played with a young German kid (then 16) who would turn out pretty good (Bernhard Langer), although that week, in his debut in his national open, Langer missed the cut by many, many shots.
Owen kept the momentum going in round three and took a one-shot lead over Dales Hayes into the final day although European Tour superstar, Peter Oosterhuis was lurking three off the pace.
This was a day full of pressure for Owen as not only did he have a potential title at stake he had the chance to cement his place in Europe for the immediate future and I have to say I was so full of admiration as to the way he went about his business especially for one so relatively inexperienced.
Oosterhuis was closing fast, however, and signed for a final round 66 in the group ahead to set the mark and when Owen stood in the middle of the final fairway he asked me if I could confirm the situation as even though the leaderboard said one thing, Simon wanted to be sure.
I advised he was now tied for the lead and when he hit a lovely shot to the middle of the green and two-putted he was into a playoff against the Englishman.
Despite his incredible success, Oosterhuis had a bit of a reputation for blocking shots under real pressure and that is exactly what he did when attempting to follow a superb drive by Owen at the first extra hole. He found the trees and when the 23 year old Owen went on to birdie the par five it was all over.
It was a most satisfying moment for me to have been able to caddy for two different New Zealanders in consecutive weeks in their respective wins in Switzerland and Germany.
I was somewhat disappointed when I later found an excerpt from The World of Professional Golf for 1974, written by Michael Williams, which was so blatantly wrong
It read: “The New Zealander handled the 14th safely but failed to get his birdies on the long holes and was not helped as he stood over a 20 footer for birdie on the last green by his caddie’s observation that he needed the putt to win. He missed and went into a playoff with Oosterhuis.”
Neither Simon nor I recall anything of the sort. That is journalistic license for you, I guess. Never let the truth spoil a good story.
Don’t think for a moment I was getting wealthy as a result of this dream run. It helped, for sure, but when Charles won in Switzerland he earned a first prize of around £4750 and Owen £2670 for his victory.
Victories in equivalent events now are worth nearly 100 times that amount. While there is a certain level of relativity in the disparity of those figures between then and now, the growth in prizemoney in world golf since, has been exponential.
And, so, it was off to Hilversum in Holland for the Dutch Open and the return of my regular bag, Bob Shearer.
That is a whole new story and one I will go into in another piece.
Dream Finish to First European Season
Having outlined in my previous piece how my European caddying adventures came about and began in Bournemouth, this story outlines how the rest of 1973 unfolded and culminated in one of the most exciting experiences I have enjoyed in golf.
Working for Bob Shearer for much of the season, I had travelled to many different parts of Great Britain and Ireland as well as to France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland before arriving at what was to have, initially, been my final event of the season in Birmingham in early September, the W.D and H.O Wills Open.
Shearer had not played well for much of the season and had failed to get starts in the late season events so I had been free to pursue other options in an attempt to extend my time in Europe.
Not one to ignore potential opportunities I was aware that Australia’s Billy Dunk had been invited to play the John Player Classic at Turnberry and the Dunlop Masters in Wales and had written to him (snail mail) earlier in the year in the hope that I might be able to have his bag for those two events.
In mid-August I received advice from Dunk confirming my involvement in the two events thus ensuring that my time in Europe would be extended until early October at least.
The week before Birmingham I had caddied, in the absence of his regular caddie and for the first time, for Bob Charles in the Double-Diamond teams event at the Princes Golf Club near Deal in Kent and afterwards he asked whether I would be available to caddy for him in two practice rounds a week ahead of the John Player Classic as he had to head off for a few days just before the event.
My end of season schedule was, therefore, building nicely but it was to build even further and in the most dramatic of ways in the week ahead.
Following Birmingham, the South African golfer, Dales Hayes, loaned me his car while he headed back to South Africa, my side of the deal being to get it to him at Turnberry more than two weeks later. Things were indeed falling into place as I enjoyed the sporty Vauxhall Firenza over the two weeks and arrived at Turnberry the week prior to the John Player Classic.
The stunning Turnberry – a few good things happened there that week – Getty Images
I spent a couple of days caddying for Charles in practice rounds and while there ran into Australian Graham Marsh who I had met in New Zealand although I couldn’t say I knew him well.
I had known him well enough, however, to write to him in Japan earlier in the year to investigate any opportunity of caddying for him at the Piccadilly World Match Play Championship in mid-October to which he had been invited as a rising star and as the winner of the Scottish Open in June.
On asking Graham if he had received my letter he said yes but that the guy from St Andrews who had caddied for him in his Scottish Open win three months earlier would be with him at Turnberry and at the Dunlop Masters and the World Match Play. I figured that would be the case but that it had been worth the inquiry anyway.
Marsh, too, was at Turnberry well ahead of the John Player Classic as he had business to attend to in Southern France for a few days ahead of the tournament and wanted to get in a couple of practice rounds before heading off. He asked if I wanted to work those rounds to which I, of course, said yes.
I began to finalise my plans for heading home to New Zealand after the Dunlop Masters but you can imagine my delight when, on Marsh’s return from France, he advised he had received word from his Scottish caddie that he was unable to make the John Player and the following two events were in doubt because of an illness to his wife.
Graham found me at Turnberry and asked if I was still available for the World Match Play. I was beside myself as the event at Wentworth was one of the great events of the season and the opportunity to caddy in my first season in Britain in a field where only eight of the world’s best players were involved was almost too good to be true.
The opportunity also existed to caddy for Graham at Turnberry and in Wales and, on reflection, I probably should have but felt an obligation to stick to the arrangement to caddy for Dunk and so organised for my friend, Lee (General) Wilkins, who had been on the bag of the highly successful Peter Oosterhuis in recent seasons, to work the two events for Marsh prior to Wentworth.
Dunk, who rarely played in Europe, performed below his best in the two events, perhaps not helped by me leaving his umbrella in the pro shop ahead of one of the rounds at Turnberry. Dunk was capable of getting fired up at the best of times but when a huge rainstorm hit on the 17th hole that day and he asked for his umbrella I was looking for a rock to crawl under.
In Dunk’s defence, however, it was my blunder and overall he was good to work for. He was a brilliant iron player and never really showed the world just how good he was. He won twice in Japan and countless titles in Australia and New Zealand but he did not enjoy travelling and so seldom did.
And, so, it was on to Wentworth and the chance to caddy in a dream event. Compared to other events we were well looked after by the tournament. Beautiful jackets were provided to each caddie in addition to a per diem in addition to whatever our respective players chose to pay us.
Access to the clubhouse in Britain in those days was never available in regular tour events but in this event not only were we allowed in the clubhouse but to eat the table of our bosses.
Graham faced the Masters Champion that year, Tommy Aaron, in the first round and won comfortably.
His opponent in round two was the Open Champion that year, Tom Weiskopf, and despite losing a ball up a tree early in his 36 hole match, Marsh would go on to win 4&3 and had therefore made the final where he would face four time winner, Gary Player, who had accounted for Johnny Miller in their semi final match.
The semi-final against Weiskopf
For me as a just turned 20-year old it was almost surreal as I headed down the practice fairway on the Saturday morning to fox balls for Marsh. I saw a television crew coming down the fairway towards me.
I could not work out why but as I picked up the balls (yes in those days we had to fox the balls ourselves), it soon became apparent they wanted to have a chat with me which was the beginning of a day like no other I had experienced to that point and since.
The match was tight all the way. All square through 18 holes, a still tied through 27 although Player grabbed a two-hole advantage with four to play. It seemed all over but Marsh birdied the 33rd and when Player three putted the 34th, the contest was set to go to the wire.
As the pair stood on the 35th tee I was standing a little below Graham and noticed that Player was ahead of the markers. It was totally inadvertent but Graham had noticed it also and as Player was getting set over the ball he advised his opponent.
Player was clearly not impressed but when he lost the hole to a birdie and went one down with one to play he was even less so.
As the players walked from the green, Player shook his finger at Graham and said; “Man I’ve got to tell you I teed my ball up in exactly the same place as you back there on the tee but as far as I am concerned I don’t worry about petty things like inches so we’ll forget the whole thing.”
Rather than me explain that incident further and how Player managed to get himself out of jail and win at the 4th extra hole, the longest final in the history of the event, the video below highlights how it all unfolded and Player’s amazing tenacity and grit under pressure.
Despite the agonising loss, this was an unforgettable day and experience for me and brought to a close my first year on the European Tour.
Those final few weeks had provided the incentive to return in 1974.
The 36th hole
European Tour – Here I come
Fellow caddie Duncan Lumsdaine and I photographed for an article in June of 1973 – click to open
Late in 1972, after a trip early in the year to Australia to caddy in the Tasmanian, the Victorian and the Forbes (yes Forbes ) Opens, I spent most of that year working on a horse stud in the Waikato before caddying in events 1972/73 New Zealand Golf season. I began thinking how I might take this growing obsession of caddying in professional golf events to a higher level.
I had caddied for John Lister when he won the first of his four consecutive Garden City events in Christchurch in late 1972 and a week or two later Jack Newton won the City of Auckland Classic at the Grange Golf Club where I had caddied again for Lister.
With Lister fully ensconced on the PGA Tour by then, I began to hatch a plan that might get me to Europe for the 1973 season there and I approached Newton to see whether there might be a chance to caddy for him in Europe where he was already seen as a rising star having won the Dutch Open the previous year.
From the moment he said yes, that was the direction I wanted to take. I was 19 years of age and it was in an era where it was hardly fashionable to travel to the other side of the world to caddy and there was quite a bit of trailblazing involved but that was not about to stop me.
Jack Newton – seen here at the 1975 Open Championship – gave me an initial reason to head for Europe.
First, I had to convince my parents, however, and I will never forget the evening sitting down at the kitchen table at their home in Rotorua to raise the idea with them. I was expecting a rebuff and being told that I either needed to extend my education or get a real job but in an exchange which increased the already high esteem in which I held my parents they gave me their blessing to go ahead with the plan.
I would probably have done so anyway but to have their support made the task easier and so I set about earning some quick money between January and April that would allow me to build the sort of funds I needed to underwrite my trip.
I headed to Dunedin where I managed to secure a job working at the Roslyn Woollen Mills on the night shift. As could be imagined it was hardly the sort of job that inspired me, but the money was good and the role was made significantly easier by the fact that at the end of it all would be this great adventure to the European Tour. It was, after all, a means to an end.
In early April, I left Dunedin for Rotorua for a few final weeks with my parents before heading for Europe. It was while in Rotorua when I was contacted by Newton who called to tell me that as his father Jack Snr had made a relatively late decision to travel to England and caddy for him and so my dreams might well have been shattered there and then.
Newton, however, asked if I might want to caddy for Bob Shearer, another emerging Australian player and the 1969 Australian Amateur Champion, who was about to play his second season in Europe after playing just seven events in his rookie year.
Bob Shearer in Bristol in June 1973 – courtesy of Getty Images
I was so far advanced in my thinking regarding the trip that nothing was going to stop me and it was agreed that I would meet Shearer in Bournemouth in early May for the second of the events in Britain that year after the tour had begun a few weeks earlier in southern Europe.
I left for London via a two-week stopover with friends in Seattle and arrived in London on May 6th which just so happened to be F.A. Cup Final day with Sunderland defeating Leeds that day.
Not that I could have cared too much about that, other than a passing interest, but it made the arrival in London a little busier than it might otherwise have been and having never travelled long distances as such I was a little disorientated, falling asleep on the bed of my very basic bed and breakfast place near Victoria Station in the early afternoon and waking up at 7.00pm thinking it was morning.
Once my brain had cleared I managed to get a reasonable night’s sleep and the following morning caught the train to Bournemouth with my one large bag and asked a taxi driver to take me to a bed and breakfast place near the Queens Park Golf Club where the tournament would begin in a few days’ time.
One settled I thought I might take a stroll over to the golf course to get a feel of where I was. The B&B was just around the corner as it turned out and within easy walking distance which was perfect. The room rate was £1.50 per night bed and breakfast or £2.00 if I wanted dinner.
I was asked by the landlady how often I would want a bath and when I told her at least once a day she was flabbergasted and suggested it would be another 20 pence in the meter whenever I did have one. “Welcome to England,” I thought.
So, on the Sunday afternoon, I headed over to the golf course, only to find it closed as on Sundays the course became a public area for walking dogs etc on that day. Many tournaments in Great Britain in that era finished on Saturdays.
I was standing there observing all of this when I felt eyes on the back of my head. I turned to see and old character in a trench-coat and a Tam o’ Shanter style hat who called to me asking what I was up to.
I advised that I was here to caddy in the event this coming week and when he asked who for and I responded ‘Bob Shearer’ he was quick off the mark in his broad cockney accent and with little in the way of warmth in his comment. “You what – coming over here from the antipodes and stealing our bags.”
Now I was already struggling to come to terms with being on my own and the novelty of it all, but this was my welcome to the ranks of the caddies in Britain.
As it turned out ‘Chingy Maidment’ was an individual who I eventually got on well with, but his initial comments were a little unsettling, especially given I was trying to get my bearings and find my feet.
He was coming to the end of his caddying career which had, apparently, included caddying for the 1936 Open Champion Alf Padgham and, at times, Neil Coles and was happy to share his knowledge of the brotherhood of caddies and make me aware of the characters and pitfalls I might face.
While acceptance of and by the British caddies took a few weeks, I was delighted to find that an Australian caddie who I had met in New Zealand the previous year, Duncan Lumsdaine, had also ventured to Europe to caddie for Ian Stanley.
Neither Duncan nor I knew that the other would be there but, importantly, I had a travelling companion for the initial stages of my time in Europe.
Bob Shearer arrived the next day and, after finishing 8th that week, Duncan and I combined some of our very limited resources and bought a 1963 Austin Mini for £100 and the next day headed for Blairgowrie in Scotland for the Sumrie Fourball event on one of Britain’s nicer inland golf courses of the time, Rosemount.
My caddying in Europe was underway.
Jumbo Ozaki – The Thrill of Winning
Having tasted my first caddying experience late in my last year of high school (1970) and really enjoying what professional golf provided, even as a caddy, I began almost immediately to think how best I could be involved again.
The New Zealand golf circuit back in 1971 was restricted to five or six tournaments over a two-month period between November and January and so there would be a wait of nearly twelve months if I was to enjoy what I had in Dunedin and Hastings.
My parents moved to Rotorua from Dunedin in late January of 1971 and before leaving I experienced my first real job (as a 17-year-old) while digging graves for the Dunedin City Council for six weeks at the Anderson’s Bay Cemetery. Funnily enough it was a job I enjoyed (there were never any complaints from the clients).
I left for Rotorua with my parents as my father had a new role with the government there and my mother also continued her teaching career.
Having decided not to go to University I needed a job and eventually got one working for a plumbing firm which mainly involved driving plumbing products across to the paper pulp mills at Kinleith about an hour’s drive away.
Again, it was an enjoyable job as I was left to my own devices to a large extent but it was never one I imagined I would stay at. As the year progressed I put plans in place to caddy once again in Dunedin where there would be two events in 1971 (the NZ Open and the Otago Charity Classic) and, for the first time for me, the Garden City Classic in Christchurch.
I had earlier developed a close friendship with the outstanding Golf Course Superintendent Bob Bradley who was in charge at the Russley Golf Club at the time and in October he invited me down to join his team as they prepared the golf course for the Christchurch event.
Both Bob and his wife Dorothy had me stay at their house on the golf course at Russley for six weeks or so further enhancing the experience and the learning curve it provided.
That experience became invaluable as my caddying and career in golf generally progressed, becoming aware of the issues involved in peaking a golf course for an annual tournament. Never would I be critical of the preparation of a golf course as that time in the preparation of Russley opened my eyes to why things are and are not done.
I again caddied for John Lister in Christchurch, the two events in Dunedin, one at Paraparaumu and one in Auckland without winning success but I was learning all the time and my great working relationship with John grew further.
Lister had advised, however, he had a friend to caddy for him at the NZ PGA Championship at Mt Maunganui over the New Year of 1971/72 and while I was disappointed, John had won the previous year at the venue and his decision to stick with his friend was typical of his loyalty and integrity.
Being only an hour or so away from my home, I was keen to caddy at Mt Maunganui and after spending Xmas at home I and a new found friend from Australia, Stephen Donaldson, who had caddied with me in events down south and stayed with my family for Xmas, headed for the fabulous seaside resort town in the Bay of Plenty.
Jumbo and I
Word was out that several Japanese players had been invited to the event by the head of the Stars Travel Group Bob Owens and Steve and I decided to investigate the possibility of working for one of those players.
We met with the head professional at the Mt, George Attrill who gave us a couple of options Takaaki Kono and Jumbo Ozaki.
Steve won the toss and went for Kono and so I was left with Ozaki. I was cursing my luck to some extent when Kono led after the opening 36 holes but things would change dramatically over the weekend with Ozaki eventually winning by seven shots over Bob Charles and another of the Japanese contingent, Takashi Murukami.
Ozaki had already established his credentials in Japan having won a dozen events in just his first two seasons as a professional after a brief career in professional baseball. He was an imposing figure, especially for a Japanese, and his powerful hitting with the then small ball was to become legendary.
Ozaki and I soon developed a rapport, despite the obvious language difficulties, and he asked for yardages on nearly every shot. He had an unnerving habit of getting over the ball and just before takeaway would take one last look at me and ask the question – “OK”?
It took a while to get used to it and to be honest I don’t think I changed his mind once and think he was just looking for final confirmation.
One shot sticks in my mind with Ozaki. The 11th hole at Mt Maunganui is a relatively straight par 4 and in the second round of the event Ozaki had walked back to the tee as I walked ahead to the landing area for the tee shot.
His drive found the trees on the right and arriving at the ball a few minutes earlier than Ozaki I had concluded that he had no option other than to chip out sideways. When he handed me back the driver, he asked how far he still had to which I looked at him quizzingly, wondering just what he had in mind. In fact, I gestured to him that his only option was to hit it out sideways.
He was adamant, however, that he wanted to attempt the hero shot through a small gap in the trees which, for the life of me, I could not even see never mind work out how he could negotiate his way through it.
I rushed out into the fairway and got a rough yardage following which Ozaki hit a miracle shot through the gap only he could see to 3 feet and made the putt for birdie. I never questioned his judgement again that week.
Ozaki took control of the tournament on Saturday and won as he liked on Sunday.
I will never forget the thrill of that day, the rush of caddying for the leader of a tournament throughout the final day as he slowly but surely demolished a field that included several of Australasia’s best. I would caddy for the winners of 17 events during my time in that role in professional events but that first win in the role of caddy gave me perhaps my greatest thrill.
Before he headed out for the prizegiving he gave me some money as payment but when I looked at the amount I felt it was well below what I imagined would be the case. I felt I had done a really good job and while his first prize was admittedly small in an event which carried considerable prestige but little in the way of financial reward, I still felt I deserved more.
I spoke to the most respected of the Japanese delegation, Sugimoto, about my situation and expressed my disappointment and pointed out that I was a professional caddy (which was probably a stretch) but he obviously spoke to Ozaki as the big man came over to me after the prizegiving and more than doubled the money he had originally given me.
It was my first experience of a win as a caddy and although Ozaki would go on to win over 100 tournaments in Japan and find himself in the world top ten during the mid-1990’s, the 1972 NZPGA Championship was his only win outside of his homeland.
To have been involved in the legendary star’s only win internationally and for that to have been my first winning experience made that week in early January of 1972 one of the more memorable of my time caddying.
The imposing Jumbo in full flight at Mt Maunganui
The Otago Charity Classic – My Caddying Debut
Following my initial encounter with the world of professional golf, described here in the first of this series, I played golf through my high school years in Dunedin in New Zealand in the late 1960’s and while, like so many other youngsters, I had visions of becoming a much better player than I was ever capable of, I loved the focus and direction the game gave me.
I would spend most afternoons after school rushing down to my local golf course (Chisolm Park), perhaps spending more time there than facing the homework necessary for scholastic success.
Given the experiences I have subsequently had caddying at close to the highest level of the game (around 160 tournaments for 17 wins) I have often been asked how I got started in caddying. Well – for me – this is my story.
In my 5th and final year at school, it was announced that a professional tournament was to be held in Dunedin for the very first time in late 1970 and I began to think how best I could get involved.
Before my high school years, our family had lived in Timaru on the Central East Coast of the South Island of New Zealand and it was there that a family connection would yield benefits.
My sister, Frances, during her school years at Timaru Girl’s High School, had become a good friend of the sister of a man who would eventually have a significant impact on my life, John Lister.
In the late 1960’s John Lister emerged as New Zealand’s best golfer since Bob Charles. In his rookie year on the European Tour in 1969, Lister won two events and was the talk of New Zealand golf as he looked towards a career on the PGA Tour, which he would join in 1971.
Through Lister’s sister, Jenny, I made contact with him and asked if it would be possible for me to caddy for him in the inaugural staging of the Otago Charity Classic.
I thought it was a long shot, but – what the hell – worth investigating at least. When his reply letter arrived, indicating his delight in having me caddy for him, I was ecstatic and set about finding out as much as I could about the role.
Golf on television in 1970, as I recall, was limited to recorded coverage of a couple of the majors and events such as Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf and the World Series of Golf, and so I spent time studying how caddies operated through that means and through one or two books I was able to get my hands on.
The profession of caddying was still in a relative infancy then but I had become aware that some caddies were creating their own yardage books for their players and although I wasn’t sure exactly what I was doing, I set about creating a yardage book for the St Clair Golf Club in the hope that it would be of assistance when John arrived for the event and, hopefully, impress him.
As a 17-year-old meeting a New Zealand sporting star for the first occasion, I was nervous when John arrived in his Mark 2 Zephyr for the event, having driven down from Timaru, but I was relieved with his welcoming nature and we headed out for a practice round.
To my surprise, he was delighted with the extent of the preparation work I had gone to and referred to my yardages from that point on and for the next 12 years or so when caddying for him in New Zealand events, for two or three in Australia, and for eight months in the US.
We actually hit it off very well in that first event, and even though there was an occasion where I (either stupidly or bravely) answered him back when he got a little angry about a shot, he would later say he admired me standing up to him. It was a comment and an incentive to back myself that I remember to this day.
Lister and I in one of his many wins
John played well enough that week and finished 5th behind Kel Nagle but we had gotten on so well that he asked whether I would be interested in traveling with him to Hastings in New Zealand’s North Island the following week to caddy for him at the Watties Tournament at Bridge Pa Golf Club.
I had just finished my University Entrance exam and so was free to travel, and although my parents (bless them) paid for the airfare, John paid for my accommodation, which I shared with him, two other New Zealand golfers Walter Godfrey and Brian Boys and John’s to be wife, Dianna.
Just being accepted as a 17-year-old amongst men was another of life’s valuable lessons.
John finished 4th that week behind a man who would later play a significant role in my golfing life, Graham Marsh, but the two weeks had cemented a long-standing working relationship and friendship with him, and gave me my first taste of caddying at a relatively high level.
While I might not have realised it at the time, those two events formed the catalyst for a love of professional golf and gave me the incentive to further investigate how I might expand on this initial experience.
Further episodes will tell how that experience in late 1970 manifested itself in what was to become and is still, a very special journey.
This link to an article I wrote on John Lister for New Zealand Golf’s Digest highlights the significant regard I had for the amazingly talented golfer.
Circa 1975
The Golfing Hiatus – An Opportunity for Reflection
At this time, when the golfing world is very much in limbo at both the professional and amateur level, I felt it might be an opportunity to describe some of the very special moments I have been blessed to experience during 54 years exposure to the game at a range of levels.
It won’t be all of them, as hopefully I might write a book at some stage, but the stories I tell in this series might be of interest to many golf fans especially those of my vintage and even for those younger who might enjoy an insight into some of the really interesting and fascinating times I have experienced.
Beginning first in 1966 when, as a school kid, attending an exhibition between New Zealand’s greatest golfer, Bob Charles, and one the game’s greatest at that time, Arnold Palmer, through to my most recent involvement at a professional level as an on course commentator at the New Zealand Open in late February, I have lived and worked through some of the game’s great eras and witnessed many of its greatest characters and moments.
It is my intention to share some of them with you in a series of short anecdotes and I trust you will enjoy the stories as much as I know, I will, bringing them to you.
Let’s begin with that first encounter with professional golf.
By early 1966 Arnold Palmer had won all of his seven major titles but he still had plenty of winning golf left in him (he would win the last of his 82 PGA Tour titles in 1973) and was undoubtedly the game’s biggest name when he arrived in New Zealand to play a series of four exhibition matches against New Zealand’s Bob Charles (now Sir Bob).
The match-up between the IMG managed pair was to be played at the Otago Golf Club’s Balmacewan Course in Dunedin in New Zealand’s South Island but first I had to get permission from my high school principal in order to get the afternoon off to attend as it was played on a school day.
I was early in my first year in high school and the idea of approaching the school’s Rector (Principal) to seek permission was a daunting one but given the opportunity I knew existed to see two of the game’s greats playing in the town where I lived was too good to not pursue.
I approached the door of the school principal’s (Harry Craig) with trepidation having told his assistant that I would like to speak with him. I was just 12 and at a new school and just meeting with him was going to be a tough enough task never mind trying to explain to him that I was keen to take the afternoon off to attend a golf exhibition.
The match-up between Palmer and Charles was well advertised and common knowledge in Dunedin but so limited was the golfing knowledge of Mr Craig that he asked me if I was going to ‘caddy’ for one of the players.
Now, several later, that would have been not such a preposterous suggestion as I would later caddy for Charles on three or four occasions but, at the age of 12, Craig’s suggestion was almost laughable
To his absolute credit, however, he agreed to my taking the time off and for that I will be forever grateful.
Many years later, the great Norman Von Nida, with whom I became a close friend in the later stages of his life, told me of the indelible impression that caddying for Walter Hagen at Royal Queensland in 1929 as a 15 year old had left on him.
Hagen’s interaction with the galleries that day and the glamour of his ways gave Von Nida a glimpse into the world of professional golf and to some extent that day in Dunedin had a similar impact on me.
Arnold Palmer carried a charisma that sticks with me to this day and while Bob Charles could never be described as Palmer-like in that regard, he was, as always, immaculately dressed and had quite a presence of his own on the golf course.
In later pieces, I will describe some of the events that led to the me eventually caddying for Bob Charles on one or two occasions, one of which was his 1974 victory in the Swiss Open (photo above).
In early 1966, however, even the thought of caddying for any professional golfer for that matter was the furthest thing from my mind as I walked amongst the largish crowd at Balmacewan just trying to get close-up views of the two golfers who, unbeknownst to me, would create a desire in me to follow the path I have taken.
I can’t even recall who won that day although I do know that Charles won the four round series. It did not matter however as my destiny had been set.
Not the same event but the same participants – Palmer and Charles at the 1972 World Match Play
Hideki Matsuyama’s Brilliance In Vain
Matsuyama in action today – photo Getty Images
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama has not won an event on the PGA Tour in early three years but after his opening round of 63 at Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida today, there was every reason to believe that the drought might end in the game’s richest event.
The joy of his brilliant effort on day one at the TPC Sawgrass was short lived, however, as, after much soul searching and consternation, the PGA Tour has now made the decision to cancel the event due to the issues surrounding the Corona Virus.
All events on the PGA Tour’s schedule including not only those of the PGA Tour but those of the Korn Ferry Tour, the PGA Tour Champions and the PGA Tour Latino America will be cancelled until the Masters in early April.
“It is with regret that we are announcing the cancellation of THE PLAYERS Championship,” read a statement issued by the PGA Tour late on Thursday evening Florida time.
“We have also decided to cancel all PGA TOUR events – across all of our Tours – in the coming weeks, through the Valero Texas Open.
“We have pledged from the start to be responsible, thoughtful and transparent with our decision process. We did everything possible to create a safe environment for our players in order to continue the event throughout the weekend, and we were endeavoring to give our fans a much-needed respite from the current climate.
“But at this point – and as the situation continues to rapidly change – the right thing to do for our players and our fans is to pause.”
A meeting early on Friday morning will reveal more on this decision but, clearly, after initially making the decision to play the final 54 holes without fans being allowed into the Stadium Course, the more impactful decision became necessary.
Matsuyama, who has been showing a return to some of his best form of late, began and finished his round in style. He opened with four consecutive birdies and then holed a lengthy eagle put at his last hole (the 9th) for his 9 under par round and finished the day two ahead of Harris English, Christian Bezuidenhout and former champion Si Woo Kim.
“I have a lot of confidence now in my swing, and last week was a tough week at Bay Hill, but today I made some putts and that seems to be the difference of late and that was really the catapult to me to have a good round,” said Matsuyama whose round equaled the course record.
Marc Leishman headed the Australians after his round of 67 had him in a share of 5th but all to no avail although given his mediocre record in the event to date it was an encouraging start.
“Golf’s a funny game,” said Leishman before the decision to cancel the event was made. “Always something new. I only had one top-10 here, I had an 8th. I don’t know, not sure what it is. Just hopefully I can keep doing what I’m doing and do better than the past.”
Adam Scott recovered from a slow start to be home in 32 for a round of 70 to be tied with Matt Jones as the next best of the Australians.
And so for players on the PGA Tour there will be no competitive golf ahead of the Masters beginning on March 9th and that, of course, providing the Masters is unaffected by the drama impacting the world at present.
Scores
The Players Championship – The Chances
This week’s Players Championship attracts the attention of the golfing world perhaps more than any other non major event and some might say more than a couple of the majors.
I assess the chances this week and provide evidence as to just why they might be considered as such.
Below: Last year’s champion and now world number one Rory McIlroy – Getty Images
Hatton Holds Off Leishman at Arnold Palmer Invitational
Leishman – file photo
Marc Leishman has fallen just short of winning his second tournament of 2020 but by finishing in outright second position at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando the 36 year old Victorian will improve to 15th place in the world ranking, his highest ranking since winning this same event two years ago.
Leishman fell one short of forcing Englishman, Tyrrell Hatton into a playoff where Hatton proved to be the last man standing on a week where only four players would finish the event under par.
In fact, so demanding was the Bay Hill Club and Lodge layout that only one player, Matthew Fitzpatrick, would break 70 on Sunday.
Hatton was chasing his first PGA Tour title in his 60th start and after a shaky start to his final round he appeared to have things under control until driving it in the water at the 11th and taking double bogey.
He steadied the ship over his closing seven holes with a series of pars and no dropped shots however and as his challengers dropped off he was able to hold on under the greatest of pressure from Leishman who was looking to not only win this event for the second occasion but to add even greater accolades to his role of tournament ambassador for the week.
For Hatton, the victory helped overcome the perception that his volatile personality would count against him over the closing stages and the quality of the shots he hit over the final few holes proved to many, including himself, he had what it takes to win at the highest level.
“Yeah, it was really tough out there and obviously I was getting frustrated at times, but nowhere near the blow-ups that I am capable of,” said Hatton.
“And it’s just one of those days where you just got to stick in there, and patience is one of the hardest things with me. To think that I’ve shot, what was it? 3-over for the weekend and ended up winning the tournament.
“If you told me that on Friday night I wouldn’t have believed you. But it just shows how tough it was. And obviously, like I said earlier, I’m very thankful to sit next to this trophy.”
For Leishman he gave it his best shot and came up just short, but not only does he improve to 15th in the world ranking but he jumps to 7th in the FedEx Cup table and picks up another US$1 million for his second place finish.
“No, I never give up,” said Leishman. “I said to Matty — we were walking down 16, I said, Of all the courses on the PGA TOUR, this is the last one you’d pick if you had a two-shot lead your three to go.
“So, Tyrell never gave up. He did what he needed to do there at the end. Great par on 18 particularly. That’s a brutal hole, tough pin placement, you have to really hold your shot. So yeah, made it interesting. Would have been nice if that putt would have dropped on 17. I felt pretty good when I hit it.
“Not to be. But happy with the week. With really tough conditions, I played probably as good as I played for quite a while. So, it was good to play well under pressure there too at the end. So, yeah, happy with the week and all credit to Tyrell.”
Matt Jones was the next best of the Australians when he finished in 47th place but New Zealander Danny Lee tied for 5th and earned one of the three starts from this event for the Open Championship in July.
Andrew Dodt’s Near Miss in Malaysia
The Malaysia Open Champion – Trevor Simsby
Queensland’s Andrew Dodt has lost a playoff for the Banda Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur today, the Queenslander eventually being knocked out of the race for the title at the second extra hole when beaten by 27 year old American, Trevor Simsby, who won his first event as a professional.
Dodt appeared in the driver’s seat for much of the 54 holes of the weather reduced event until a double bogey at the 15th hole saw him slip one off the lead of three others.
He bounced back with a birdie at the 16th but a missed six foot birdie chance at the 17th would ultimately prove costly as, unable to birdie the 18th, he, Simsby and American Jarin Todd headed back down the 18th to determine the champion.
Todd was eliminated at the first extra hole after Simsby and Dodt both birdied but Simsby birdied at the second extra hole to take the title and the US$180,000 first prize.
Dodt and Todd tied for second and earned US$86,500 each.
Simsby, a graduate from the University of Washington where he played alongside PGA TOUR champion C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei, was thrilled to claim his career biggest win yet in only his 12th start on the Asian Tour and first this season at the Malaysian showpiece.
The lanky American, who hails from Carlsbad, California, is playing in only his second year in Asia. He came through the 2019 Qualifying School and plied his trade on both the Asian Tour and the ADT last season.
Wade Ormsby was the next best of the Australians when he tied for 10th but remains on top of the 2020 Asian Tour money list courtesy in the main of his win in Hong Kong in January.
Queensland’s left hand amateur, Lawry Flynn, was the next best Australian when he finished a very impressive 16th.
The Asian Tour now has a one week break before the Hero Indian Open in New Delhi.