A lot of people think the only job of a caddie is to carry the bag. That couldn't be more wrong. A caddie is a swing coach, a mental coach, a voice of reason and persuasion and the person who makes sure, if you go on tilt, that things can smooth over so you can finish your round and not post some absurdly high number.
Jessica Korda obviously was not thinking about all those things during her third round at the U.S. Open. According to the Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman, the 20-year-old LPGA player fired her caddie mid-round at Sebonack Golf Club, pulling her boyfriend in to loop for the remainder of her round. "Johnny, grab the bag, let's go," she said, according to AP.
Her caddie, Jason Gilroyed, used to loop for Cristie Kerr during a time when I caddied for a friend on the LPGA, so I spent time around Jason and can tell you he's not only a great caddie but a solid dude, so who knows what happened between the two.
The 20-year-old Korda said she had never fired a caddie mid-round before, but they had had some disagreements over the first nine, and she wasn't in the right state of mind to play well.
''I care about Jason a lot. He is a great guy,'' Korda said after her round. ''That's just how it happens sometimes in life. That was one of those things today that it just unfolded. It was very hard for me to do. I'm not that type of person to take these things really easily.''
She went on to fire a 36 on the back nine after posting 40 on the front. She stands tied for sixth at 1-over through three rounds.
This is also the second straight week we've had a situation involving a professional golfer and their caddie. Bubba Watson went off on his caddie last week at the Travelers Championship after making a triple-bogey on the 16th hole.
