So here I am, laying in my Quality Inn bed, heat-exhausted and slightly sunburnt - with my brother and his friend hanging out with kids in the room across the hall.
I planned to follow Omar Uresti's round and write a game story on it tonight (considering Uresti led by two strokes after the opening round). And I almost accomplished the task - I made it through 14 holes with Omar despite the heat, and was all prepared to write the story - even though he was having a rough round, at 3-over on the afternoon.
But events transpired, and I would not be able to interview Omar after the round. So without talking to Omar, I felt like writing a game story wouldn't be the best idea - especially considering the unexpected surprise of late Friday afternoon.
So here goes, I'm going to tell the story of my afternoon just as it happened - as a narrative.
After talking to Kevin Johnson and grabbing a few drinks for my brother and his friend, I headed to the first tee to follow Uresti. Alex and friend were prepared to watch Omar for much of the round, especially considering Alex was happy to see Omar in the lead.
Unfortunately for us as fans, Uresti quickly dropped out of the lead - with a sloppy bogey at 1 and a missed birdie opportunity on 2. But Uresti's highlight came at the 3rd, as a pinpoint drive and laser-like approach to 10 feet left him with a good look at eagle - which he rolled in. Just like that, Uresti was at 8-under on the week, and in the solo lead again.
But things quickly turned sour for the Texan. An approach at the 4th rolled to 30 feet past the hole, leaving Uresti with a near-impossible putt that required using a slope. I don't think he had any chance to lag it to even five feet. Three putts later, Uresti was back to even on the day.
The next hole was no better, and Uresti failed to get up-and-down from a greenside bunker, leading to his third bogey in just five holes.
The positive at that point? We decided to drink from the players' water cooler on the sixth tee, which probably saved me from heat exhaustion - looking back on the day.
Soon enough, playing companion Brendan Pappas had seen quite enough. Struggling with his ball control off the tee all week, Pappas reached a breaking point when he missed a 4-footer on the sixth green. Before anyone in the crowd realized what had happened, Pappas started hitting the ball while it was moving - bringing gasps and statements of confusion from the decent-sized gallery.
A hole later, Pappas was disqualified.
Uresti made it to the 9th tee at just one over on the round despite struggling for most of it, and had a good chance to get back into red figures with birdies on the par-5 9th and 10th. But the veteran failed to birdie either, missing putts inside 10 feet on both, and this seemed to drain the energy out of the Texan.
Sure enough, Uresti hit a poor tee shot on 11 and made bogey, and the round was looking bleak. On the 12th green, Uresti's caddy succumbed to the heat as well - and a young (about 25-year old) member of the gallery was called into duty. The funny thing? I didn't even notice the change until the 14th green.
And the 14th green was where the fun began. After Uresti missed a 4-footer for par to fall back to 4-under on the week, I was called over by a rules official. He told me that Brett Wetterich's caddy had heat exhaustion, and wondered if I would be willing to fill in.
So here I am, following the tournament as a media member, and I'm being asked if I want to caddy. Sounds like Rick Reilly in his book 'Who's Your Caddy?', which is ironic considering that is one of my favorite books. I've read the book honestly a dozen times, and always found myself immersed in Reilly's experiences looping for a handful of pros.
Now I'll have to get in touch with Reilly somehow. Because the next thing I knew, I was shaking Wetterich's hand and strapping his 50-pound bag on my shoulders.
I have to point out that I was already dead tired at this point, and debating ditching Omar's group to just lay in the grass for a while - especially considering his play wasn't really worth my while. But the chance to caddy got adrenaline pumping through my system, and I was ready to roll despite the heat.
I also realized that Bob-o-Link (the local Buffalo-area course where I work) pro Jimmy had joked to me before my trip about trying to caddy for someone. I can't wait to tell Jimmy that it actually happened.
So here I am, now walking down the 15th fairway with Wetterich - a former PGA Tour champion and Ryder Cupper, who made over $3 million on the PGA Tour in 2006. The same Wetterich who I had just wrote about on Thursday - about how his sister questioned his commitment to improving as a golfer.
Funny how golf, and life, aligns.
Talking to Wetterich, I could not help but think about his sister's comments. He told me that he needed a few more big years before he could retire, and I visualized the Cincinnati native sitting content by a fire or on a fishing boat - anywhere but on a golf course.
And it's certainly not as if Wetterich lacks the talent. He crushed his drive so far on the par-5 15th that he only had a 7-iron approach, and he two-putted for birdie. But still, he was 1-over on the event - in need of a few closing birdies if he wanted to make the cut.
I would have loved to help Wetterich out, but knew that my best method of help was to stay out of his way. After all, what could I possibly say to a former Ryder Cupper that would enlighten his plan of attack on the course? So I stayed to the side of the green, offering encouragement when appropriate - and not much else. Wetterich even raked the bunker himself when he found the sand off the 16th tee.
Either way, I didn't need to do any 'caddy's work' in order to get the experience. Walking the player's walk from green to tee was something I'll always remember, especially after attending so many tournaments over the years where I had to stay outside the ropes.
Despite his struggles, Wetterich was engaging in conversation, talking about one of his passions - college basketball. A Cincinnati Bearcat fan, Wetterich expressed the belief that former coach Bob Huggins got a bad rap while at Cincy - maintaining a true graduation rate far higher than had been depicted in the media. I'll have to dig into that at some point.
I was also able to get Wetterich to laugh on occasion, which was a good feeling. He enjoyed my story about buying NFL GamePass in London (I should have told him about being mugged), and my perspective on the eternal suffering of the Bills. We even had a serious conversation walking up the 17th fairway - about the challenges of providing objective coverage when it's so easy to just be nice.
"It's the truth," Wetterich said.
I wish I had the time to take notes while caddying, but I didn't want to take out my phone for fear of a possible rules violation - and carrying the bag did plenty to expend my remaining energy. But plenty of memories remain (now a few hours later), and I'm doing my best to get them down now - so I don't forget.
I wanted to bring up his recent struggles - that have relegated Wetterich to Web.com status, after such a promising stretch in the mid-2000's - but didn't want to seem too journalistic, as a caddy. The experience provided me the chance to be inside the ropes and hear so much more than I would while watching a normal round, but I didn't want to cross the line. Hopefully, I didn't.
When playing partner Jeff Cuzzort hooked his tee ball into the left trees on 15, Cuzzort issued an F-bomb - then looked around and muttered that he would probably get fined. After Cuzzort flubbed a short chip from tall grass behind the green on 16 (leading to a double bogey), he muttered, "I'll go again, while I'm still hot." It's refreshing to know these types of comments and bitter remarks exist on the professional level - just as they do in everyday golf. You just need to be close enough to hear it, and I was lucky to have that chance on Friday.
After hitting his tee ball into the water, Wetterich took a drop and hit his third into rough left of the green. After finding his ball, Wetterich said, "You know, I probably would've been done if I didn't find that."
On the 18th tee, playing partner Camilo Benedetti stated that the whole group should finish the hole as fast as possible (none of the three players was positioned to make the cut), and someone joked that they should all tee off at once (they ultimately didn't).
Also on the tee, I asked Wetterich if he was willing to go back to Q-School in the fall to re-acquire full PGA Tour status. At first he looked at me, deadpan, and said, "No, I'm quitting."
Then in all seriousness, the players reflected on how hard it would be for a professional golfer to go and work at a 'desk job.' Bob Heintz's name was mentioned, and there was joking about how Heintz was one of the few who could actually pull off the transition, with his Yale degree. (One of the players said Harvard, but the idea's the same). They also laughed about how every fall, there are plenty of players who (after rough seasons) insist they're giving up on minor-league golf if they don't earn their PGA Tour card through Q-School.
Then, what happens? "At the first event of the year, there they are," Wetterich said.
The only alternative he could come up with? "Maybe I could do some lessons, somehow get people to pay 100 bucks a pop. Tell them their swing looks nice, and on to the next."
All in jest, of course.
Walking up the 18th fairway, I told Wetterich of my running joke with friends about acknowledging the crowd. "Tip your hat to them," he said.
So I raised my hands to the gallery as I approached the green, and the crowd cheered. What a thrill. As miniscule as it may be, I'll never forget it.
Walking to the scoring tent, Wetterich told me to meet him in front of the clubhouse. Along the way, I saw Omar's caddy (looking fine, despite being unable to complete his duties in the heat), and asked him what he thought about Omar's struggles.
His caddy (who said he is a friend of Omar's, temporarily filling in) said he's actually kind of happy that Uresti is a few shots back now - as he won't have to deal with the pressures of the lead, and can just play.
We'll see how it pans out over the weekend. Only four back, Uresti certainly has plenty of time to make up ground.
When I met Wetterich at his car, I imtroduced him to Alex (an aspiring golfer) - and asked if he could give Alex any advice in regards to his golf game. Wetterich told him to practice distance control (particularly from 100 yards and in), to make sure that he gives himself plenty of birdie chances when the opportunities arise.
Wetterich thanked me, and left us with a parting gift of two hats and two dozen Titleist Pro V1X golf balls (Brother Nick, don't even think about it). I told Wetterich I would try to catch up with him at an event somewhere down the road.
"Sounds good," Wetterich called back to me, as he headed to his car - off to his next stop in the always-changing world of professional golf. Maybe he'll get his A-game back soon, and maybe he won't. But if one thing is for certain, we can expect to see him in competition for plenty of years to come.
Because until he has enough money to retire, he knows he wants nothing to do with a day job.
And I can't say I blame him.
