Final thoughts from the 91st PGA Champtionship

Looking back over the last three PGA Championships, this year definitely rates #2. This year rivals Southern Hills as far as the golf course layout and the facilities. The caddyshack this year was the best of the 3 years. Southern Hills treated the caddies very poor with no space and pathetic food. A professional caddy has a real grind week in and week out, and they are a close knit group. I have a lot of respect for them. In October, Hazeltine is demolishing the clubhouse and rebuilding, and then in July 0f 2010, they are re-sodding the greens, digging the fairways down 2 ft and bringing in new dirt and then reseeding. It will be ready for Memorial Day 2011. After 40 years they say the soil is too compact!

I think Ryan will come away from this week having had a great experience. I know he really wanted to make the cut and play all four days. He is really looking forward to the trip to Scotland and the PGA cup. He is also planning on going to second stage of q-school in November. We will see what the future holds.

Bruce--Leaving the caddy shack at Hazeltine

Round 2 PGA Championship

If you followed along or were watching on TV today you probably wondered "what the heck happened to Ryan today". Today was a day of low lows, proud moments, and great memories. Ryan pretty much started today as yesterday with hitting the ball good, but not having the ball roll his way. He started on 10 and 3 putted. Looking back over the last two days I wonder where the putter went, because that is what he does very well. He was on a pretty much boggey train (I haven't checked and don't know his hole by hole score) until we got to #17 which was his eighth hole for the day. He hit a good shot and was the closet to the pin of the 3 players. Now comes the saddest, most gut wrenching, experience a caddy and father could witness in a major tournament of this proportion. He proceeded to 5 putt from twenty feet. His first putt went 5 ft. passed the hole, as did the second and the third. You have to realize this was in front of a packed green with a large grandstand. With each putt missed,the crowd moaned louder and you could hear people sucking in their breath. With the fourth missed putt, Darren Clarke said "I'll putt" which gave Ryan a chance to collect himself. Vicki said she was fighting tears and Brad had turned away and couldn't watch. There I stood by the green with my back to the people with the biggest knot in my stomach that I have ever had thinking "this is my son, I wish I could help, but I can't do anything." From the deepest low came the proudest moment I could ever have when he made the putt. The crowd cheered as if he had made a hole in one, and as he took the ball from the hole, he stood up, smiled, and raised his arms. The crowd then cheered even louder.

When we got to the next tee, which is a long walk, Darren Clarke said, "I know how you feel, we've all been there." I don't know whether it made Ryan feel better, but it sure helped me. As I looked back, Ryan could have done numerous things that would have made him look bad, instead he smiled and acted like a professional. This experience and lesson I will share for the rest of my life. I have heard that they talked about Ryan's 5 putt on the internet. The important thing for me was not the 5 putt, but how Ryan handled it and how he reacted to it.

After his 8th hole, he gathered himself and we played each hole as they came, until hole # 7, which was his 16th hole. Seven is a 572 yd par 5 dogleg right with water to the left of the green. With the wind behind us he hit it to the corner, which he hadn't done all week. He had 249 to the front of the green and he asked me whether he should go for it. We discussed the line and how to hit it and I said "you have nothing to lose." He hit a perfect shot with a little cut to the right, it landed short of the green and rolled to within 20 ft of the pin. The crowd roared. All the while Brad was on the left side wondering what the hell was Ryan doing. He told Stacy that if Ryan makes the eagle putt, we are all jumping in the water and getting on TV. He just missed the putt but had an easy tap in for birdie. It was a shot and hole he will always remember. He bogeyed 8 (17) to go back to +20. On 9 (18) had a 15 foot putt for par and finally got the ball to drop, so he finished strong. He played the last seven holes even par.

This has been an amazing week, with experiences of a lifetime getting to play with Phil and Freddie. Freddie said that play with Darren Clarke would be very enjoyable, and it was more than that. He is someone I will always follow and a great man. We saw Freddie in the clubhouse after the round and he came up to Brad and me and started talking to us as friends. He is a class act, no question in my book.

Now Ryan is looking forward to the PGA Cup in Scotland in September. He is one of 10 players representing the United States PGA and they will play 10 players from Europe's PGA in a Ryder Cup format.

Decided to post a picture of Ryan, Carsen, and myself at the end of the tournament. There were no cameras or cell phones on the course once the tournament officially began, so you can't see how I looked with my yellow bib and clubs on my back.

1st Round--91st PGA Championship

Today was a disappointing day. Ryan had a good warm-up session. He was hitting the ball well and he putted well on the practice green. Most of the round can be summed up by saying golf is a game of inches and Ryan was on the wrong side of the inches. Ryan missed 6 putts from under 6 feet and Brad figured that the misses couldn't have totaled more than 6 inches on either side of the cup. Making those 6 putts would put him at 3 over instead of 9--but it didn't happen. He hit the ball well overall.

Now Ryan has a real challenge to make the cut line. If it would be at+4, he would need to shoot 5 under tomorrow. That will be hard to do. I'm sure the greens will be firmer than they were today. His putter will have to get blazing hot tomorrow.

Charles Howell III and Darren Clark were great to play with. They did not have great days either. Darren was not happy with the condition of the greens. In 2002, he said they were fantastic.

We have a quick turn around with a 7:35 tee time in the morning. It will be a 5 AM wake up call, so it will be bedtime soon. I couldn't help but put this picture of Carsen on the blog wearing his PGA cap. He went to PGA daycare during his Dad's round and did really great. All the activity there really kept him entertained.

The weather today was overcast and threatening all afternoon. We had a shower for a couple of holes, but it wasn't bad. With a breeze it was a nice day for walking the golf course. I was expecting a hot humid day.

Let's hope tomorrow brings straight drives and lots of putts dropping in the hole. Congrats to son-in-law Matt for passing his PA Boards yesterday. He is now an official PA-C.

Bruce from the Caddy Shack

Wednesday--91st PGA Championship

Today's play will be difficult to put into words. When we got to the course I had the feeling that something would change the plans for Mickelson to play with Ryan and Fred. Phil was eating breakfast when we were, so we at least knew he was there. It was a little after 8, and the crowds were already large. When Phil walked out of the dining room he walked towards the scoreboard, but instead of going left to the putting green, he went straight and was walking through the crowd. It was priceless to watch people look at him, but not register who he was. It was like they were frozen. Phil just kept walking until we couldn't see him, but he was just walking through the crowd. When we got to the driving range, Fred was already there warming up. After a little while, Phil came to the driving range, and the stands started cheering. At that point I thought 'O'Boy' this is going to be interesting if this really happens. About 9:45, Fred walked by and told Ryan that "Bones" (Mikelson's Caddy) was heading to the tee to get a spot, so Ryan should join them shortly. At that point, we knew it was a go for sure. We were all on the tee, but Phil was down on the short game area, so Freddy called someone that was with him and said we were ready to go. When Mickelson showed up on the tee, there must have been at least a dozen photographers following and the gallery was 4 to 5 people deep. I had told Vicki that I would try to set Ryan's bag next to Freddy's and Phil's so she could get a picture of them together. When we got to the first green, I knew that plan wasn't going to work. She couldn't get close, if I could have seen her. Walking along with Phil was Butch Harmon, his swing coach, and Dave Peltz who helps with his short game. Dustin Johnson was the fourth player in the group. Brad said he is probably the longest hitter in the world. He is apparently trying to make the Presidents Cup team this year and Fred Couples is the Captain. At this point I need to say that Ryan only played 9 holes with them. He needed to do some work on the driving range and on the short game area as well as putting. If he played all 18, that wouldn't have happened. The other 3 were going to play all 18, so after 9, Ryan thanked them for letting him play, good luck was passed around and we went to the clubhouse. Brad commented to me that the decision to only play 9 showed Ryan's commitment to sticking with his plan when it would have been easy to keep playing. During the 9 holes, it was interesting to listen to the talk between Phil and Fred. It could have been 2 guys playing a weekend game of golf. At one point, Butch Harmon commented that the crowds were like a Sunday afternoon. Walking down the fairways, they were always yelling at Phil and Fred, but mostly Phil. Both Brad and I felt that Fred really treated Ryan like he was a friend. He was more open with Ryan this year compared to last. Phil talked to Ryan several times as they were walking down the fairways. After the round Ryan had a good practice session. He is ready for tomorrow. With an afternoon start, we probably won't leave until a little before 10. It will be a hard day for Brad, because he will have to watch outside the ropes. Fred Couples was impressed with the players Ryan will play with. Ryan tees off of #1 and Friday off #10 tee. It will be important to start strong by making good shots and putts to get the confidence for a good round. I'm anxious to put on the bib with "BENZEL" on the back. It is always a proud time for a father.

Bruce from the CaddyShack

Late Tuesday Update

Ryan just stopped by and informed us that Phil Mickelson will be joining Fred Couples and Ryan tomorrow. Tee time is 10 AM. I can't imagine what the gallery will be like. I was already in bed, so now sleep is out for awhile. Vicki and Stacy were going to go to the Mall of America tomorrow, but now they will be at the course. Hopefully we'll have a picture to post. Tomorrow should be a dream of a lifetime for Ryan!!

Tuesday--91st PGA Championship

We arrived at the course just before 6:00 AM and there was already lots of activity. Many players came early to play. By 6:30 players were teeing off. As I was waiting for Ryan to come out of the locker room, Tiger and his caddy walked by to the driving range. When we got there, Ryan had just one player between himself and Tiger. Unfortunately, Tiger left after a couple of minutes, but at least we got to see him up close. He is taller than I imagined him, and he is very fit and muscular--more so than any other player. When we got to the 1st tee, we had to wait for a couple of groups before we could tee off. Players on the tee were Angel Cabrera, Andres Romero, Camilo Villegas, Luke Donald, and Miguel Angel Jimenez. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but they were all laughing and having a good time waiting to hit. Ryan played with Rich Beem, Jerry Kelly, and Kevin Steelman. Steelman's caddy used to be with XM radio and interviewed Ryan at Southern Hills. He is quite a character and kept things lively. Kelly and Steelman left after 9 holes, so Rich and Ryan finished the round. Beem was a very enjoyable player. At 2 this afternoon, Ryan went down to 16 tee with Jim Huber from TNT and a film crew and did a "tip from a Pro" segment. So now you'll have to watch TNT, tape or DVR it, to see if they air the segment. The one guy said probably Friday, but who knows. The crowds here have been amazing. According to a news report this morning there are very few tickets left and it really shows. Several players have commented that they've never seen so many people for practice rounds. The tournament days should have even more people. Today was a special day for Vicki, after three years she got to walk "inside the ropes" with Ryan and me. She started on 10 which is a picturesque hole. It is a dogleg left which drops down to the green by the lake. It is kind of a hub there because 16 is close by, so she got to experience what it is likw to walk from green to tee through large crowds. She was very impressed. On hole 12, Ryan told a little boy to wait for him until after he had teed off. He went over, signed his flag, and gave him a signed practice ball. The boy and his family were very excited and it was a very touching and proud moment for Vicki and me. Ryan did a radio interview this afternoon with the Dennis Patchin Show in Spokane and Thursday morning at 8:30 AM Pacific time he will be on "Mitch in the Morning" on a Seattle Radio Station. Mitch is on KGA 1510 in Spokane as a simulcast so the Spokane area can listen. Mitch is also on the computer by googling KJR Seattle and you can listen live or listen afterwards because his interviews are taped. Tomorrow we get to sleep in a little--7:45 leaving time. He will be playing around 10 with Fred Couples and probably others. We will only play 9 holes as that is what most of the players who have been around a long time do. They are familiar with the courses, so they just need to refresh a little and most rely on their caddies to do all the course analysis. Hopefully, they will play the back nine because that is where most of the playing decisions need to be confirmed. After we are done playing, I'm sure Ryan will spend time on the range and on the putting green. Vicki and Stacy have had interesting days, spending most of their time in the dining room taking care of Carsen. The have been like mice in the corner listening to all the conversations. Zach Johnson even talked to them about Carsen today. We really miss not having Matt and Kim here this week. Matt has been studying for his National Physician Assistant Boards. Our thoughts and prayers are with him.

Looking forward to a lighter bag tomorrow.

Bruce from the CaddyShack

We just spent an 11 hour day at the golf course. We left at 6:30 AM and when we arrived before 7 AM, Tiger Wood's car was in the parking lot and he was already on the golf course. This is amazing since he won the tournament yesterday and now he is the first one on the course on Monday. Ryan had a good warm-up which included talking to Titliest and Adams Golf and having some clubs tweeked. With Adams Golf he was trying some new hybrids and Titliest was making him a new 60 degree wedge. When he was done on the range, we had to wait for Steve Stricker's clubs to arrive from a club transport from the Sunday tournament. They teed off arount 9:30. The course was what I was hoping for. Compared to Oakland Hills last year, the fairways not as sloping and the greens are approachable, with no severe undulations. It is definitely a long course, but accuracy counts. Most of the trouble off the tees are in the long ball hitters range rather than Ryan's The course is wet due to all the rain this past week, so we will see how this analysis holds up as the week goes by. The 16th hole is the most scenic with a lake on the right. The first 200 yards is over water to the fairway. The left side is narrow with the gallery lining the entire length of the hole. We cross over a bridge dedicated to the memory and life of Payne Stuart. The weather today was warm but not overly humid. There was a breeze blowing most of the time, so that helped with humidity. The bag was a little HEAVY today due to the 19 clubs I was packing. It will be lighter tomorrow, since Ryan has eliminated some of the clubs. Fourteen clubs are the max for tournament play. Vicki and Stacy had an exciting lunch with Tiger and a few other players sitting next to their table. I guess a lady who took Tiger's picture got escorted out of the dining area. A 7:00 AM start with Rich Beem tomorrow will mean a real early wake-up call. Be sure and check out Brads analysis on the Gonzaga Athletics webpage. His viewpoint is very good.

Bruce from the CaddyShack

Sunday--91st PGA Championship

We had a good flight and arrived at noon. We were at the golf course by 3:00 PM and got our credentials. They didn't have my ID as having access to the family/players dining room, so now I have 2 ID's. The golf course looks like it will be very scenic. There are a lot of trees. The rough is cut to 4" with the first cut at 1.25 inches and the fairways at .40 and the greens cut to .09. Ryan spent some time on the putting green and liked the way the ball rolled and the speed of the greens. He is using a different putter than at the PGA National. It is same design only black with a straight shaft going into the club head. The clubhouse is very nice but needs updating--two weeks after the tournament it is to be torn down and a new one built. The locker room is older with metal lockers, but all the amenities are there for the players.

Ryan has a Mecedes Benz SUV to drive. Lots of gadgets--NICE!!

The practice rounds are going to be exciting. Tomorrow he plays with Mike Small, who is the golf coach at Illinois, and won the PGA National and Steve Stricker who is an alum of Illinois and played with Small. When we were at the course today, Ryan ran into Rich Beem, who won this event here in 2002, so we will be playing with him on Tuesday morning. Beem likes to play early, so it is a 7:00 AM start, which means a 4:30 wake up call. Beem has been getting lots of press since he is the defending Champion at this course. The first two days Beem is playing with Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington. On Wednesday Ryan will play with Fred Couples again, which will be around 9:00 AM.

When we were at the course, the humidity was definitely there. They had 6 inches of rain a few days ago, so everything is wet. It will be interesting to see how the course plays with the wetter conditions.

There is a teenage player from Japan that has been invited to play the Championship. His name is Ryo Isikawa. He evidently played a practice round today and was being interviewed by a group of Japanese reporters just on the other side of the window while we were eating a late lunch. He was in BRIGHT pink pants with a pink and white golf bag. They came into the players dining area to eat, and he had eight people in his entourage. A PGA official came over and was talking to one of them about the fact that they weren't all going to be able to eat in the player's dining area after today. It will definitely be interesting to see what impact they will have on Ryan's group during the tournament. I'm sure there will be many from the Japenese press following him.

It is a real pleasure to have Brad Rickel, his college coach, back with us. We are both excited to get a look at the golf course. He is writing a blog on the Gonzaga University Athletics web site about this week, so if you want to compare our thoughts and get his perspective you can go to the GU website.

I am having a hard time describing how this is for the third year. Both Brad and I think that Ryan could have a good tournament. We will know more after seeing the course tomorrow, but the deer in the headlight feeling is gone. I really have a positive feeling the way Ryan has been playing. It is more "normal" even though there is all the hype. It was really good to go to the course today, spend some time and get a feeling of the layout without thousands of people.

I have to add that the VIP of the whole week will be three month old Carsen, Ryan and Stacy's baby boy. He was a real trooper today. You can expect to see some pictures of him posted on this site. Grandma is in seventh heaven!!!

We are staying at an Embasy Suites which has an atrium with a nice breakfast. It is a great place to stay for the tournament.

Getting Ready for the 91st PGA Championship

It is Saturday evening, and we are ready to go. The bags are packed except for the list minute items. The weather forcast looks good for the week ahead, but I know it will be humid. Numerous people have said the state bird of Minnesota is the mosquito, so I'm hoping we won't be bothered too much by them. They came out with the pairings yesterday and I am excited to see who Ryan will be playing with. He is paired with Charles Howell III and Darren Clarke from England. He has almost the same tee times as last year with 12:45 on Thursday off #1 tee and 7:35 on Friday off #10 tee. The TV time should fit for Thursday as coverage starts at 11:00 am Ritzville time on TNT. Friday he will be done before the TV coverage starts. Making any TV coverage will depend on him playing well and making birdies. A number of good players are right behind him, so he should be playing in front of good galleries.

We get to Minneapolis around noon their time tomorrow, so we will have time to get to the course and get our credentials. Hopefully I can get a few pictures and post them here tomorrow night. Sounds like Ryan and Stacy will be loaded down getting to the airport. This year 3 month old Carsen will be going, so that will add to the excitement. Grandma B is excited for the babysitting. I'm just getting nervous and am anxious to see the course and plan the strategy.

If anyone has a particular question about the tournament as the week goes by, you can post them under comments and I will try and answer.

Excited for a good week!


Bruce--getting ready to get to the CaddyShack

Welcome to my Caddy Blog

This is the blog where I will be posting the daily happenings for the 2009 PGA Championship. Ryan made it for the third straight year by finishing tied for 4th at the PGA National Professional Championship at Santa Anna Pueblo, New Mexico. The 91st PGA Championship is being held at Hazeltine Country Club just outside of Mineapolis, Minnesota. We will be leaving on August 9th, with practice rounds to start on August 10th. The tournament proper is Aug. 13-16. The goal for Ryan is to make the cut and be the low PGA Professional for the tournament. If that happens he would be on the 18th green during trophy ceremonies on the last day to receive the low PGA Professional trophy next to the winner of the PGA Championship.

Check back for future postings as tournament time approaches.