Caddie struggles in round 3 of major PGA Championship 2023

Rain put more mental and physical pressure on many caddies, as they had to carry heavier bags and manage more accessories during the third round of the major at Oak Hill.

“It was tough,” Adam Hayes said when Golf Digest asked him after round three. Hayes, who is the caddie of world number one Jon Rahm, initially didn’t even want to talk to Golf Digest because he was tired.

To be polite, Rahm took over. "Adam just died. He must have carried about 15kg of rainwater, holding my umbrella, wringing out towels, wiping shafts and club heads. Basically, keeping everything as dry as possible. On rainy days like this, caddies have a much harder time than us."

Hayes (left) assists Rahm in the third round of the 2023 PGA Championship on May 20. Photo: AFP — Hayes (left) assists Rahm in the third round of the 2023 PGA Championship on May 20. Photo: *AFP*

This round 3 of the PGA Championship took place in a light, sometimes heavy rain. And so, caddies had to hold umbrellas to protect the ball from getting wet after wiping and placing it on the course, especially when the golfer was hitting or putting. Because if it gets wet, it will change its properties, making it difficult to control the trajectory, distance and spin effect like when it is dry when contacting the club face.

This week, South African caddie Theunis Bezuidenhout helped fellow golfer Thriston Lawrence compete in the PGA Championship. Yesterday, Bezuidenhout said he felt like he had "three heads and six arms" when working in the rain because in addition to his golf bag, he had to carry many umbrellas and towels. However, the work still went smoothly thanks to team spirit because when Bezuidenhout held the umbrella, Lawrence wiped his clubs. "We still ran errands. As for me, I didn't bother to hide from the rain, because there was no way to avoid it at that time," Bezuidenhout said.

Caddie Jason Reynolds, when assisting golfer Dean Burmester, did not receive the same cooperation from his client as Bezuidenhout. Reynolds said that in addition to running around aiming and estimating distances to advise, he also had to take care of small tasks while Burmester only focused on his expertise, occasionally throwing away umbrellas and towels when he took action. "Every time a shot went wrong, the accessories would fly everywhere. The client would just leave, and I would rush to collect everything with only two hands. It was exhausting," Reynolds said.

Meanwhile, caddie Nick Pugh pretended to be surprised and said humorously when asked about the situation: "What are you asking? The work on the course is easy."

Pugh also said he had to carry Lucas Herbert's golf bag, which was almost twice as heavy as usual. When the match was over, most of the clubs were soaked, and the bottom of the bag was full of water. At that point, Pugh began to take inventory of his gear, which was five towels and three hats. Then he put everything back in the bag, and when he got back to his place, he took everything out again to dry with a hair dryer.

Caddie Carl Smith holds an umbrella to keep his ball dry as Sahith Theegala prepares to tee off during the third round of the PGA Championship on May 20. Photo: Golfweek — Caddie Carl Smith holds an umbrella to keep his ball dry as Sahith Theegala prepares to tee off during the third round of the PGA Championship on May 20. Photo: *Golfweek*

According to PGA Tour practice, including majors, caddies, in addition to the agreed base salary, will receive a 5% bonus when the golfer makes the cut, 7% if he finishes in the top 10, and 10% when he wins the cup. Referring to this framework, caddie Hayes was awarded an additional $324,000 when he helped Rahm win the 2023 Masters major in April.

This year's PGA Championship takes place on the par70 East Course at Oak Hill Country Club in New York.

With a prize fund of 17.5 million USD, the new champion will take home 3.15 million USD. In this title fight, Rahm - the current world number one (OWGR) - has lost all hope when he is ranked T42 with a score of +6 after round 3, while the leader belongs to Brooks Koepka, at -6. Behind Koepka are six golfers within five strokes, including number two Scottie Scheffler and number three Rory McIlroy on OWGR.

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