Canadian Open player fires caddy on 15th tee; Alexander, 69, steps in
July 27, 2007
Don Alexander, a pretty fair amateur golfer in his younger days, still loves to play the game and he loves watching it when the Canadian Open comes to town.
Yesterday at Angus Glen he got to do more. The 69-year-old Toronto fan was pressed into service as the emergency caddy after U.S. pro Jay Williamson fired his bag-man, named Mike Mollet, at the 15th tee.
"I was the pinch-hit caddy," Alexander told the Star last night, at his downtown home after wrestling the touring pro's 100-pound golf bag the final four holes at Angus Glen. His payment was a dozen new golf balls and a story to tell.
"Every year I love to go out and watch a group that nobody's going to follow except maybe their girlfriends," said Alexander, who played in the 1962 Canadian Open as an amateur. "I love golf and I want to see how these guys make their living out here. I got a pretty good group there, with (Scott) Gump, Williamson and (John) Mallinger. They shot some pretty good scores. There were only a few of us watching them the whole way.
"At the 14th hole, Williamson hit it over the green and he and his caddy started having words. It got hotter and hotter and hotter. I was talking to the caddy's girlfriend and she started giving me the background music and I thought, `Uh-oh. This isn't good.'
"At the 15th tee they went at it again and Williamson fired him on the spot. The caddy then threw a handful of golf balls into the lake and stormed off. Said he'd see him in the clubhouse, that kind of thing. Williamson turned to us – there were maybe five of us – and asked who wanted to go to work.
"A younger guy named Mike said he'd do it. I don't know if Williamson didn't want another man named Mike, or what, but he didn't want him. I said, `I'm your man.'''
Alexander, who played on a couple of Willingdon Cup teams, Canada's amateur team event, in his younger days, went under the ropes, hefted the bag and away they went.
"I told Jay, `You know, you've got talent on your bag. I played in this tournament in 1962. I qualified as an amateur. But I guess that was before you were born.' He said it was. I told him I beat Gary Player that year. Of course, I finished last and Player got disqualified.'''
"I think he had fun," said Williamson, who shot one-over-par 72 and wasn't anxious to discuss the whole incident. "He was a nice guy and he had played some golf."
After the round, Williamson hired a caddy whose player, Kris Cox, had withdrawn with a back injury. So Alexander relaxed at home last night with a beer.
"I think I earned that one," he said. "And if Jay wins this thing and he wants to write me a little cheque, I wouldn't say no."
Asleep
Your right this does not happen very often.
As to who fired whom, like most incidents there are at least two sides to every story. I saw the caddie on Friday and my understanding of the matter is that enough was enough (no caddie should ever take abuse), so he put the bag down, gave two balls to the player, threw the rest in the lake and walked off the course. There is a history here and comments coming from the rest of the group would tend to indicate that the player was way out of line.
The caddie had another job on Friday and the player missed the cut.
By the way a Tour bag weighs closer to 40 lbs than 100.
Hybrid Mode
