July 29, 2007: Caddie Trouble

Hello!

I am in Harbor Springs, MI. If you have not been here, you should think about it... It's very beautiful, just like Seattle... Lots of trees, water, the sun stays up until 9:30, etc. Plus, the phone doesn't get good service here, so it's a perfect place to rest.

OK... I decided not to play the Evian tournament which is going on at this point... I luv that tournament: the fact that it's Europe & so beautiful. Except that most restaurants don't open til 7 PM NO WAY~!!! A couple weeks ago, we had a tournament in Toledo,OH. I was at the golf course practicing putting & got a phone call from my caddie Bob. He sounded very down... he told me that during his week off, he got injured water skiing and can't walk... His left hamstring got torn up... He got surgery on Friday of the tournament week. So his wife came out 2 be on my bag for 2 events. After the Match Play tournament I needed a little break.

In the past, I really had some not great experiences w/ caddies. They seem like nice people, but when it gets down to work I see them as totally different people. Totally like 180 degrees different.

All right, here are a couple of examples. There is this tournament where you need 2 BRING your own caddie (in Europe). I got my caddy, had a practice session, & he told me that he is going out that night, so I told him to have fun and I'll see you at 7:30 in the morning. The next day, waiting waiting waiting... More than 3 hrs... Found a local kid who could be on my bag so I could practice... w/o my caddie! He showed up w/ red eyes about 3 & 1/2 hrs later... He told me that his uncle is dying right now from brain cancer and that he needed to fly out right away. So I told him to go ahead. Guess what? He flew out a few days later & I heard from others who saw him drinking at the bar a few nights later. So that time my caddie Bob's wife was there and helped me throughout the tournament.

In Mexico, during the tournament the caddie had my bag... So I met him in the morning, and saw that my bag had this big black mark on the belly (which is the biggest packet). I wondered where that came from... My caddie told me that he put my bag down & a car behind him wasn't put in park -- my golf bag got hit by a car! Thank GOD ~ nobody got hurt. He told me that he already had checked most of the clubs & it looked like nothing was really bent. I told him that whatever happens happens for a reason, so I told him not to worry, let's get going, Guess what? At not even 7 am, just walking out of the clubhouse, he put his arm on the wall & started crying... So we found a doctor 2 check him out and make sure everything was fine. While he was getting checked out, I was at the range getting ready for the tournament. He came back and said that he was perfectly fine. Of course he was FINE, cuz my GOLF CLUBS are the ones that got hit by the CAR~!!! He acted like it was really hard to walk & was having a hard time lifting the golf bag or bending down... I asked from the start, are you all right? He was, til 12 holes later... So I had to send him a thank you card w/ a check.

OK, my point of talking about these caddies: I had a chance to go to the Evian, but I was so afraid that I would have another bad experience w/ a caddie that I withdrew from the tournament. How sad is that?

I just got a message from Bob that he got his knee brace off. He's learning to walk again. So I asked one of my friends from college, asked him a fave, to be on my bag for a few events...

Here is what is going on w/ the golfing life! I thought playing golf is enough... guess not.

Please, pray for my caddie Bob & a good friend of mine who had disc surgery in his neck a few weeks ago... he can't drive or play golf, that frustrates him. Pray for their RECOVERY~!!!

I am doing well out in MI, getting some rest & trying to figure out my schedule & caddie situation...

I'm gonna head out for the British Open... I'm really excited, but also getting nervous. PLEASE, pray for me & my caddie situation.

Love, Jimin