A couple weeks ago I had the chance to “get on the bag” or caddy for my good friend and student, Anders Hultman, at the Nationwide Tour’s Fort Smith Classic presented by Stephens Inc.
It’s been a while since I have been on the bag for Anders and it brought back good memories for both of us. The first time I caddied for him was in 2004 during his professional début in Austin, Texas, during a Canadian Tour event. He ended up winning the thing (of which I take little credit!); a great experience for him and an incredible one for me.
Caddying for me is more than carrying the bag. It’s a process I truly believe in, especially when it comes to coaching players at that level. One can only do so much on the practice tee and we both look forward to these opportunities to take our instruction inside the ropes. Caddying for Anders gives me a chance to get inside his head, understand his thoughts, decisions, evaluations, temperament, and ultimately, execution.
During the Fort Smith Classic, Anders shot 67-70-69-74 and wound up even par for the tournament, finishing in 37th, 12 off the winning score. During his first round he hit 4 greens yet had 21 putts for a grinding 67. This just goes to show you that even if you hit it poorly, your play around and on the greens can produce excellent results!
This is Anders’ first year on the PGA Nationwide Tour and he is definitely getting his feet wet out there! It usually takes a while to get used to life on tour your first year. He plans on playing in approximately 23 events this year and I should be on the bag again here in the near future.
Shawn
