Rory McIlroy has already been voted Player of the Year in the US and I expect him to win the European Player of the Year.
Colin Montgomerie will be crowned European Seniors Player of the Year at the last event in Mauritius.
A slightly less heralded but just as important award is “Caddie of the Year” and this was presented to Martin Kaymer’s bag man Craig Connelly last week. Voted by the players and caddies themselves, it’s enormously prestigious and the ultimate accolade for a caddie.
Craig hails from Clydebank and has been on tour since 1996, firstly on the Ladies Tour but for the past 14 years on the European Tour. He has caddied for Monty and Paul Casey but his real success has been with Kaymer. He has helped his boss win the 2010 USPGA and was on the bag when Kaymer holed the Ryder Cup-winning putt at Medinah.
The pair won this year’s Players Championship, considered the fifth Major, and crowned the year by winning the US Open.
I’d go so far as to say it’s unlikely the German would have achieved his successes without “The Wee Man”.
Craig is up there with the best. Tiger Woods and Adam Scott have had Steve Williams, Phil Mickelson has Bones (Jim Mackay), Jim Furyk has Fluff (Mike Cowan) and Rory has JP Fitzgerald.
No great player has ever succeeded without a great caddie. Professional golf can be lonely and your caddie is the most-important friend you have.
Craig knows Martin inside out. They had a short break but couldn’t live without each other!
A caddie must act like a walking psychologist and mind reader. He must know when to speak and when to remain silent, when to give lines on the greens and when not to. Yardages must be spot on and he needs to factor in the wind.
He must act like a butler, checking he has everything the player requires balls, gloves, tees, towels, sunglasses, hat, visor, food and drink. Most importantly, he must ensure the correct number of clubs is in the bag.
Today’s caddies spend so much more time travelling with their player. In my day you asked your caddie to turn up at the course.
And you couldn’t afford to travel abroad with him. For those tournaments, you hired a local!
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