The Latest Caddie Change

For those of you who missed Jason Day's explanation of his "split" from caddie Colin Swatton, here's a Golf Digest article that gives the details.



I put the word split in parentheses because while everybody is using the word, it doesn't sound like the right word to me. Their business relationship hasn't ended, not the way Phil and Bones ended theirs, or Rory and J.P. did, or even Lydia Ko and Gary Matthews (after a mere nine events). Cole is still Jason's coach, which he was before. He just isn't looping for him right now.

And Jason told GC that it might end up being temporary, but that he felt he needed the change to keep from possibly ruining their friendship. Remember, Cole has basically been Jason's dad since J-Day was 12. Jason also said it was ironic that, having made this choice, he was actually getting to spend more non-business time with him.

In other words, Jason has -- at least for the time being -- returned his relationship with Cole back to what it was when Jason was a teenager more in need of guidance than a caddie. And given all the upheaval in his life this year, including the stress of his mother's battle with cancer (again, remember that at one point he thought he was going to lose her), it sounds to me as if Jason has simply decided he needs his "dad" more than his caddie at this point in his life.

All-in-all, that sounds pretty smart to me. And I won't be surprised if Cole is back on his bag sometime next year, after Jason's back in a good place emotionally. We'll see. For now, let's see if Jason can make it to East Lake next week.

Another Legend Passes

It's been a rough week for golf legends. Earlier this week it was 92-year-old Charlie Sifford, and Saturday 83-year-old Billy Casper joined him.



Casper had been having some health problems over the last year, beginning when he passed out at the Masters last year, had pneumonia over Thanksgiving, and had been going to cardio rehab over the last four months. Even so, his family said he was doing well until he started feeling bad this past week.

At least when the end came, he was with his family and it came quickly and painlessly.

Unlike Charlie Sifford, whose golfing performances in his prime -- or even on the Champions Tour -- are rarely replayed so those of us too young to remember can appreciate them, Billy Casper's game is a bit more familiar. It's not just because he was a bit younger or even because he won more (51 times). In fact, Casper didn't get that much attention when he was in his prime because "the Big 3" of Palmer, Nicklaus and Player garnered the TV time.

But Casper did win 3 majors and one of them -- the 1966 US Open -- was the biggest comeback in US Open history... and it was at the expense of one Arnold Palmer. Palmer entered the final 9 at the Olympic Club with a 7-stroke lead, only to have Casper run him down and then beat him in an 18-hole playoff.

That kind of thing will get you a lot of TV time, even years after it happened.

ESPN quoted a Facebook post from Jack Nicklaus after the news came on Saturday night, and it probably says it best:

"Billy Casper was one of the greatest family men -- be it inside the game of golf or out -- I have had the fortunate blessing to meet," Nicklaus said in a Facebook post Saturday night. "He had such a wonderful balance to his life. Golf was never the most important thing in Billy's life -- family was. There was always much more to Billy Casper than golf. But as a golfer, Billy was a fantastic player, and I don't think he gets enough credit for being one. I have said many times that during my career, when I looked up at a leaderboard, I wasn't just looking to see where a Palmer or a Player or a Trevino was. I was also checking to see where Billy Casper was.

"Billy had tremendous confidence. He just believed in himself. You knew when you played against Billy Casper, Billy would not beat himself. You want to talk about someone who could perform under pressure, if you wanted someone to get up-and-down for you, Billy Casper was your man. I think it is fair to say that Billy was probably under-rated by those who didn't play against him. Those who did compete against him, knew how special he was."

Golf has lost two great players -- two great men -- this week. The new kids will have some big shoes to fill going forward.

The photo came from this USAToday post about Casper's passing.

A Legend's Passing

I know I'm not the best person to do a post about Charlie Sifford -- although I'm in my late 50s, I'm still not old enough to have seen him play in his prime -- but I can't let him go unmentioned.

The best way I know to salute his passing is simply to say: I just thought he was cool.



When Sifford became the first black man to play the PGA Tour after the "Caucasians-only" clause in the PGA of America's charter was overturned way back in 1961, I was only 3 years old.

I live in North Carolina, just a couple of hours north of Charlotte where he was born and just about a half-hour from Greensboro where some of the major equality protests happened around the same time. I was fortunate to grow up in a home where color was never an issue and, when NC schools integrated in 1970 -- when I entered junior high school -- I went to a school in a black neighborhood where all of us kids got along and were proud to say that we did. While I knew that bad things like those Charlie Sifford endured happened, I can truthfully say that I never saw anything like that firsthand.

When I first heard about Charlie Sifford -- when I first seriously got into golf -- he had already been on the Champions Tour for a few years. I still remember seeing him puffing on that ubiquitous cigar of his and thinking that he was a man who didn't care what others thought. (And I mean that in a good way. By that time there was already some backlash against smokers.) When I learned what he had gone through just to play the game, I understood. He carried himself like a man who knew who he was.

It's hard enough to make it to 92 when your life is easy. Charlie Sifford earned every year of his. I'm just glad he made it long enough to get the Presidential Medal of Freedom and know how much he meant to us -- blacks and whites alike. Rest in peace, Charlie.

The photo came from this PGA.com post.

Kip Henley Is My Hero

I'm sorry but I HAVE to post this video!

Some of you may remember Kip Henley from one of the Big Break series. He also happens to caddie for Brian Gay. Thursday at the RBC Heritage, Kip became a folk hero in his own right. When I saw this on the broadcast, I couldn't believe it!

In case any of you guys missed it...here's Kip Henley attacking an alligator with a sand trap rake so Brian can play his ball.



That is just insane. Goes to show what the pressure of Big Break can do to a player.