Caddie Championship: Fun for some, serious for Smash

Informed that the Smash GC caddies apparently are the team to beat in Wednesday’s inaugural LIV Golf Caddie Team Championship, Elliott did not hesitate to embrace the favorite’s role.

“I would agree with that. Absolutely,” Elliott said. “I can’t see anybody beating us, really.”

To make sure Elliott’s brash talk wasn’t just a devilish ruse, it was mentioned that the Smash caddies seemed to be taking a serious approach to what others may regard as a fun event. “You’re right,” Elliott replied. “We’ve thought a lot about it.”

Evidently. Game on.

Caddies of the 12 LIV Golf League teams will compete under the lights at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on Wednesday night, a precursor to the season-ending LIV Golf Jeddah that begins with Friday’s first round. The caddies will play the back nine at Royal Greens using a four-man scramble format. The caddies will not need other caddies, as they’ll utilize carts.

Caddies on the winning team receive trophies during a post-round podium ceremony. There is no official purse – but early-week rumblings suggest that the LIV Golf players may invest a few riyals toward the outcome. There may or may not be a betting line. It’s all a bit hush-hush at the moment.

Some are taking a lighthearted approach.

“How do I feel about it? I barely play golf anymore,” said Malcolm Baker, the caddie for RangeGoats GC star Talor Gooch. “At 53, this body after 20 years of caddying, it doesn’t work too much. But I think it’ll be fun.”

Others are a bit more intense.

“I’m not going to lie – I did a fair bit of practicing leading up to this,” said Austin Johnson, Dustin’s brother and the Caddie Captain for 4Aces GC. “It’s my only tournament of the year, so I’m not going to come in with a half-effort.”

As for pre-tournament favorites Smash, the foursome expects to repeat the result that the Smash GC team did last year in winning the LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah team title, with Brooks also claiming the individual title by defeating then-teammate Peter Uihlein on the third hole of a playoff.

The Smash lineup includes Matthew Wolff’s caddie Nick Heinen, teammates with Wolff at Oklahoma State and also a one-time pro player on the developmental circuit; Jason Kokrak’s caddie David Robinson, who also played developmental events and mini-tours; Chase Koepka’s caddie Ryan Fricker, who played with Chase at the University of South Florida; and Elliott, Brooks’ longtime bagman who grew up in Portrush and also chased the pro life back in the day.

“Nick’s a really good player – he hits it a mile,” Elliott said. “D-Rob, I haven’t seen him play much golf, but I think he’s pretty good from 100 yards in. Chase’s caddie is a Challenge Tour player. He moves it as well. So, we’ve got a couple of straight hitters and a couple of big bombers. The format really suits us.”

No matter if the approach is fun or serious, the Caddie Team Championship reflects LIV Golf’s embrace of those who work with and support the players.

“LIV does a great job of making the caddies included in everything they do,” Austin Johnson said. “They take great care of us out here. This is just another example of what LIV does to make us feel like part of the whole organization. I think it’s awesome.”

Added Elliott: “They’ve done an unbelievable job of involving us, just making us feel like family. It makes it more enjoyable for everybody, having caddies involved, coaches, players, all staying in the same place.”

For this week, the caddies get the added benefit of not having to compete in Saudi Arabia’s midday heat. Royal Greens has an extensive lighting system, allowing the nine-hole competition to start shotgun-style at 8 p.m. local time.

Asked when the last time he had played nighttime golf, Austin Johnson said: “Not since I was a little kid. We had a light-up par-3 course that DJ and I would go to as little kids. Our parents would drop us off there to get rid of us.”

The two have come a long way since then. DJ enters this week as the defending Individual Champion and still has a long-shot chance to repeat. And Austin and his 4Aces hope to beat the heavily favored Smash caddies on a world-class golf course next to the Red Sea. The upset won’t be easy, though – if you believe the word on the streets.