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John Daly had just three-putted.
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Matt Freeman, out-of-office for the week to carry Daly’s clubs at the Shaw Charity Classic, hustled to the next tee.
When you’re serving as a caddy for arguably the most colorful character in golf, you know to expect the unexpected.
But Freeman, the head professional at Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club, wasn’t expecting this.
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“I’m standing on the 17th tee, have the putter head-cover out, and John comes walking up with no putter in his hand,” Freeman said. “I kind of give him the shrug and he says, ‘The bag just got a little lighter.’ I said, ‘Well, what did you do with your putter?!?’ He said, ‘I was going to break it, so I decided to give it to a fan.’ “
Hilarious.
The PGA Tour Champions stars are now off to the next stop.
Freeman, meanwhile, will be back at his desk Monday, although probably not getting much work done.
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Because every member will be stopping by with a similar spin on the same question — ‘So … what was it like to loop for Long John?’ His PGA of Alberta pals will surely be calling too, looking for the inside scoop.
Through the 10-year history of the Shaw Charity Classic, with every edition so far hosted at Canyon Meadows, Freeman has plenty of stories to tell.
“But this is the best for me, for sure,” he said.
Daly was initially supposed to have his son on the bag in Calgary, just like he did at the British Open last month at St. Andrews, but ‘Little John’ preferred to stay home and work on his own game as he prepares for his sophomore season with the University of Arkansas Razorbacks golf team.
Freeman, 43, was thrilled to fill in. For one pro-am round and three days of competition, he sidekicked for one of his childhood faves. (It was a bonus that Daly was twice paired with Fred Couples, another treat to watch.)
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“You get these experiences — probably once-in-a-lifetime, might never happen again — and when the opportunity came up, I jumped on it,” Freeman said. “It’s been fantastic, really cool, and he exceeded my expectations. You just never know, when you get close to somebody that you have kind of looked up to for 30 years, but it’s been great.”
After that impromptu putter giveaway near the end of Friday’s opening round, Daly purchased a new Odyssey from the pro-shop, changing the grip and using his foot to bend this wand to his own liking.
If he wasn’t fighting with his flat-stick(s) all week, the 56-year-old might have been in contention for the title and the cowboy hat that comes with it. Instead, he settled for a T-23 showing with a three-round tab of 2-under 208. He closed Sunday with a spin of 3-under 67.
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“You look at the leaderboard, we could have been right there with anything done,” Freeman groaned.
Nevertheless, the host-course head pro enjoyed every minute of this experience.
While Daly was riding in a cart, often puffing on a cigarette, Freeman was trekking around the 7,086-yard layout with that Hooters-logoed bag slung over his right shoulder.
He’d relay yardages, rake sand-traps and help read putts. And, like so many of the folks standing outside the ropes, he might have grass stains on the bottom of his jaw after witnessing the way that Daly, a two-time major champion during his PGA Tour prime, can still clobber a golf ball.
“It’s amazing how he hits it and the shots he creates,” Freeman said. “Just the way it comes off his club, it’s unbelievable.”
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This big bop on the 468-yard opening hole is a prime example.
“His drive (Saturday) on No. 1, I can’t even explain to you where it was” Freeman marvelled. “He had 118 yards into the green. He had a baby gap-wedge. I’m thinking to myself, ‘I’ve never seen a drive here in my life.’ “
Before Daly drove away Sunday in his rental vehicle, he signed Freeman’s bib.
A special keepsake, and maybe a job offer for next summer. (The contract between the Shaw Charity Classic and Canyon Meadows is now up for renewal, a decision that will be voted on by members at the private club. The senior sharpshooters have always raved about the course, so they’ll be hoping that when they return to Calgary in 2023, they’re back at the usual spot.)
“Thank you for the great caddying,” Daly wrote to Freeman. “Let’s do it here forever.”
CHIP SHOTS: Medicine Hat’s Kelly Risling drained the 25-foot birdie putt — sealed with a fist-pump, of course — to win a sudden-death playoff at the 2022 Alberta Senior Men’s Championship at Desert Blume in his home city. Risling completed three laps in 3-over 219 and then defeated James Varnam on the first extra hole. He also claimed the super-senior title… The Calgary Ladies Golf Association’s Senior Closed Amateur is on the tee Tuesday-Wednesday at Hamptons.
Twitter: @WesGilbertson
