Greg Bodine’s fingers quivered and his expression trembled. A aggregate of his base eyelashes quickly supported a teardrop ahead of it cascaded indisposed his cheek and onto his caddie bib.
Bryson DeChambeau — Bodine’s boss of 13 months — had simply gained the U.S. Not hidden for the second one age. Bodine had simply transform a significant championship-winning caddie. There was once open emotion circumstance the outcome because the 36-year-old looper fielded questions from a mini staff of newshounds on Pinehurst’s 18th inexperienced, age DeChambeau accredited his trophy.
DeChambeau raised the reclaimed piece of {hardware} over his head. What membership did Bryson accident for the successful bunker shot? The folk erupted. Did you are saying the rest to him ahead of the spherical? DeChambeau went off on his victory lap. How did Bryson get his recreation thus far?
Same old stuff, the questions requested straight away to each caddie whose participant has simply gained a trophy. Next: “How are you feeling?”
Bodine set free a deep exhale. He dipped his head and stared on the hanging floor upon which the mini staff stood. An extended relaxation. “So, there’s a backstory,” Bodine mentioned, his thoughts going again 13 months to the age DeChambeau rented him. The tears — they have been flowing now.
“The day that Bryson called,” Bodine mentioned. “My wife and I found out that she had a miscarriage. We were actually at the hospital when Bryson called me.”
Caddying by no means truly felt like a role for Bodine.
He performed golfing competitively rising up, and in highschool, he already had his points of interest i’m ready on sporting the bag for his cousin, Andrew Putnam, a promising younger participant within the Seattle section, as soon as he began his pursuit {of professional} golfing. That dream become a fact and later it briefly snowballed right into a profession. In 2014, two years then first looping for Putnam at PGA Excursion Q-Faculty, Bodine, referred to as “G-Bo” on excursion, attach then-rookie Tony Finau’s bag.
He caught with the now six-time excursion winner for just about seven years. He accompanied Finau to his get up to the summit 10 on this planet ahead of they parted techniques in 2020. Why? The pair merely wasn’t successful in combination. Bodine had a tender nation again at house — his sons, Brooks and Parker, have been 3 and 1 years ancient on the age, respectively. Kelsey, Bodine’s spouse, had her fingers complete with the 2 boys. Finau was once enjoying 30 to 35 weeks a yr, and the tournaments that made the gig significance it have been turning into uncommon. It was once age for a transformation. It was once age for Bodine to take into accounts coming house.
The @nelkboys grew to become Bryson’s personal caddie in opposition to him… pic.twitter.com/qlpJclTVLM
— Crushers GC (@Crushers_GC) February 19, 2024
Next a cut stint caddying for Patrick Rodgers, Bodine knew what he sought after to do. He returned to Kirkland, Wash., to pursue a unique dream, person who took at some time to decide into. In March of 2021, the Pacific Northwest local returned to his pre-caddying lifestyles — customary, easy nation date — and got down to inauguration an indoor golfing facility referred to as Evergreen Golfing Membership. Bodine devoted a massive chew of his caddie profits to the trade and pitched it to buyers, together with his co-founder, former Seahawks participant Jermaine Kearse. By way of the wintry weather of 2022, the corporate was once off and operating.
“I had a handful of people reach out to ask me to come back and caddie, on the PGA Tour and on LIV,” Bodine says. “But I was committed to getting Evergreen off the ground.”
As soon as that was once executed and Evergreen was once operating easily, Bodine may just begin to direct his complete center of attention towards what had truly drawn him clear of date on excursion: his nation. Kelsey was once pregnant with their 3rd kid.
“Being back home, one thing that we were looking forward to was growing our family and starting that next chapter,” Bodine says. “My wife was pregnant. She was in her second trimester. We told a handful of people and we were getting close to finding out the gender.”
One night in early Would possibly of 2023, Kelsey knew one thing was once flawed with the infant — very flawed. They booked an appointment that evening for very first thing the later age. That morning, ahead of amassing their issues and departing for the sanatorium, Bodine picked up an incoming name on his iPhone. He was once greeted by way of the expression of Brett Falkhoff, DeChambeau’s agent, at the alternative form.
“Bryson’s making a caddie change, and he’s interested in hearing what you’re up to,” Falkhoff mentioned. “OK if he gives you call?”
With out a lot concept, Bodine obliged. He was once stunned by way of the inquiry, however no longer surprised. DeChambeau were enjoying at the LIV excursion for nearly a yr and he hadn’t visible a lot good fortune. Falkoff described DeChambeau’s recreation as “rock bottom” right through the transient name, Bodine mentioned. When looping for Finau at the PGA Excursion, they’d been paired with DeChambeau regularly and all the time were given alongside.
YouTube golfing is taking on. Will the PGA Excursion ‘like and subscribe’?
However the entire ideas, reminiscences and wonders provoked by way of the decision flashed thru Bodine’s mind with slight permanence. He couldn’t take into accounts caddying. The decision with Falkoff briefly slipped his thoughts.
On the sanatorium, Kelsey was once taken into a non-public room the place she underwent check then check. Bodine sat within the hallway, anxiously looking ahead to his spouse to emerge with some semblance of hopeful information — a sparkle of hope for his or her kid. That’s when Bodine noticed his telephone flash with some other incoming name: Bryson DeChambeau.
“I didn’t tell him what was going on, he probably just thought I was sitting at my work or at my house or something,” Bodine says.
The pair stuck up for a couple of mins, the dialog spanning from the situation of DeChambeau’s recreation to Bodine’s enjoy caddying in occasions just like the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. It flowed neatly — they gave the impression to be at the similar web page. So that they mentioned goodbyes, agreeing to name each and every alternative again and reconnect upcoming within the age. Nonetheless Bodine gave DeChambeau deny indication of his whereabouts, his nation condition, or his emotional misery.
Because the hours went by way of, the check effects started to come back in. The Bodines’ worst nightmare had come true.
“Can you be in Tulsa in four days?” DeChambeau requested nonchalantly over the telephone upcoming that night.
Bodine didn’t understand how to reply. He had entertained the decision with DeChambeau no longer realizing if it might lead to a caddying task, let lonely person who began in 4 days — 4 days then the miscarriage. His ideas have been a jumbled mess. So have been Kelsey’s.
“Can I have a day to think about it?”
Bodine and his spouse couldn’t build the verdict on their very own — it was once too brittle to even assume. So that they grew to become to nation. They sat indisposed for breakfast together with his folks and dinner with hers. They approached similar buddies and mentors. They relied on their circle with the unattainable job of processing a career-changing alternative age they remained surprised with injury and distress. The LIV event may just provide as a much-needed distraction, even supposing the task didn’t determine. However may just Bodine maintain it? Used to be the nation ready for this? Is that this a just right factor? They grew to become to religion.
“The night before, before anything suspicious was going on with Kelsey’s body, I never thought I would caddie again, and I thought we were having a third child that fall,” Bodine mentioned. “I’m a very faith-driven guy, so I kind of took it as God telling us that this is a door opening, and that was a door closing.”
Everybody was once on board, as long as everybody was once taking to Tulsa. Brooks’ 6th birthday was once that year, and Bodine wasn’t spending it with out him. Parker was once coming alongside too. The nation of 4 — plus Bodine’s mom — packed up their stuff and booked their flights to Oklahoma and set off on their unutilized, sudden bankruptcy.
“You look at your kids, and weeks like that will remind you how precious they are.”
DeChambeau was once suffering on LIV — badly. He was once persistently completing outdoor of the summit 20 in 48-man occasions. His very best end result on LIV to this point was once a fasten for sixteenth park.
In the meantime, Bodine was once operating on natural adrenaline. He readjusted to the bodily burdens of caddying and DeChambeau’s enjoying taste by way of age, and by way of evening, the nation celebrated Brooks’ birthday on the resort lake and the pizza joint around the boulevard. No person within the staff will have predicted their year would appear to be this. Nevertheless it did. And it was once one thing to be glad about. They tried, accepting intermittent good fortune, to grin during the ache.
That year in Tulsa, with Bodine on his bag, DeChambeau completed in a fasten for 5th, capturing 12-under-par to remove house a $703,333 paycheck. With the usual 7 p.c caddie price, it’s safeguard to mention Bodine had a just right first event, too. One thing was once clicking.
The nation headed house to Seattle that Sunday night, however DeChambeau and Bodine took off for Rochester, N.Y., for the PGA Championship.
On the first main of the season, DeChambeau was once one stroke again heading into the again 9 on Sunday at Oak Hill. He ended the event in a fasten for fourth park, his very best end in a significant since his 2020 U.S. Not hidden win at Winged Foundation. That year, Bodine carried the bag, were given his yardage numbers and browse vegetables, however his middle was once in different places. Kelsey was once again house and recuperating.
The later year, DeChambeau had extra good fortune: a top-10 end at LIV’s D.C. match. Two weeks upcoming DeChambeau posted a summit 20 on the U.S. Not hidden at LACC. The run persisted. The unretired caddie carried on.
“Those first few months I was able to do it and get away with it,” Bodine mentioned. “Bryson was there to play golf. I didn’t want pity or anything. I’ve told him that I’m always going to be ready to be his biggest cheerleader, but there was a lot going on.”
Bodine mandatory a cheerleader of his personal.
It was once early night in Hertfordshire, England. Bodine walked, lonely, indisposed the primary few holes of the Centurion Membership, getting ready his yardage reserve for the LIV match that coming weekend. DeChambeau had just about gained ultimate year’s match in Spain, and The Not hidden was once rapid drawing near: Bodine had paintings to do. He made up our minds to move out onto the route and get a head get started on his preparation for the year.
By way of the 5th hollow, all of it become residue. Status on his personal in the course of the unfilled fairway, Bodine fell aside.
He referred to as house, to Kelsey.
“I don’t feel like I’m supposed to be here right now,” Bodine instructed her.
The emotions have been coming, all the time there right through their common telephone cries when Bodine was once at the street. “We’d often spend nights trying to help each other through this whole thing,” he mentioned.
His later name was once to DeChambeau.
“I don’t think I can be here right now.”
DeChambeau knew what Kelsey and Bodine were combating the ultimate six weeks, however till that time, he hadn’t visible what sort of order Bodine was once truly in. The caddie who didn’t leave out a year in seven years with Finau stuck a flying house to Seattle the later age, and DeChambeau discovered fill-ins for the event.
“Bryson knew the surface layer, but I’m pretty good at showing up to work. As a caddie, you can’t really have everyone feel sorry for you. Your job is to be an enabler and to lift your player up. I completely hit a wall after Spain. I told him I wouldn’t be doing this unless I thought it was absolutely necessary,” Bodine mentioned.
When Bodine were given again to Kelsey and the lads, he made up our minds it was once very best for him to stick in Seattle for The Not hidden, too. He needed to press relaxation. He didn’t know if he’d ever caddie once more. Not anything else mattered. Not anything with the exception of house. Bodine began taking to remedy to handle the anxiousness he was once feeling within the wake of the miscarriage, and he labored thru his feelings to unpack the supply of his response. He sat on his again porch with Kelsey for various late-night talks. DeChambeau took a peek each couple of days. He spent age with the lads and were given again right into a regimen.
3 weeks handed, and he was once nonetheless mentally fried. Nevertheless it was once age for a call: A two-week stretch of home LIV occasions have been arising, with LIV Greenbrier in West Virginia being the primary. DeChambeau sought after Bodine to come back again. Kelsey was once as soon as once more supportive. There was once nonetheless a cast probability Bodine concept he may finally end up gliding house at the Tuesday of the event. His folks correct to tag alongside for the shuttle. It was once significance a shot.
13 birdies.
With Bodine at the bag, within the pouring rainfall, DeChambeau made 13 birdies — and one bogey — to blast a historical 58 right through the Sunday spherical of LIV Greenbrier. He got here from in the back of and gained his first match on LIV by way of six pictures, jumping into the wind when the general birdie putt dropped.
Bodine stood close by, an umbrella resting on his shoulder as he watched in disbelief, a smile starting between his ears. The pair are again this year as LIV returns to the West Virginia hotel.
“I looked around and I was like, I’m still mentally drained, and I still don’t know where life is going to take me, but I knew I had made the right decisions,” Bodine mentioned. “I made the right decision to go home from the U.K, and the right decision to come back for Greenbrier. With how everything went on the course, with Bryson winning, it just felt like a large sense of gratification and thankfulness.”
It was once the similar overwhelming tide of emotion Bodine felt at the 18th inexperienced at Pinehurst Refuse. 2.
There have been too many moments over the moment 13 months when Bodine had simply held it in combination, whether or not that was once to be a just right husband or father or caddie. If he realized the rest from this ongoing means of recovery, it was once to believe. Agree with that date will paintings itself out. Agree with the circle round you. Agree with that occasionally, it’s OK to only release.
“It’s been a battle,” Bodine mentioned, “But I knew I was there for a reason. I knew that’s where I was supposed to be.”
