I'm no golf expert, but I worry about Larry Ziegler's choice of caddies.
For the second straight year he showed up for the Franklin Quest Championship with Mark Eaton as his caddie. I have nothing against Eaton, but I question the wisdom of having a 7-foot-4 caddie in a lightning storm, with steel clubs in his hands, 7,000 feet above sea level.You know what they say about standing next to anything tall when lightning is around, and it was on Sunday. Play was delayed twice for more than two hours because thunder and lightning was raging above the Park Meadows Country Club.
When you consider that Eaton was holding Ziegler's golf clubs, well, it sounds perfectly nuts to me. Think about it: steel shafts, lightning, tall guy. I'm guessing a nine iron makes a swell lightning rod. It was the perfect recipe for getting fried and maybe the worst combination since Ben Franklin flew a kite and a key in a storm.
Why not jam your sand wedge in a wall socket to increase the odds some more?
Eaton would have been my last choice for a caddie on Sunday. Me, I'd take Muggsy Bogues.
Eaton isn't much of a golfer - "Terrible," he says, and I have it on good authority that there is no reason to dispute this - but Ziegler gave some of the credit to Eaton for his fine showing in the tournament. He said that Eaton's calm, positive attitude under pressure helped calm him down.
He was CALM standing next to The Human Lightning Rod?
Ziegler played his best tournament in a year and made a terrific run at the championship. He began the final day at four under par, seven strokes off the lead, and finished at 12 under. When he retired to the clubhouse, he was tied for the lead with several golfers who were still out on the course.
Dave Stockton wound up the winner, 15 under par. Ziegler finished in a tie for third place.
Ziegler is the kind of humorous, nice-guy/underdog you like to see win. He grew up one of 14 children - "You had to signal for a fair catch when my dad threw a bone in the air," he says. He began his golf career as a caddie, making $1.85 per round, eventually working his way up to caddiemaster (whatever that is), assistant club pro, head club pro and finally PGA Tour player.
It stands to reason that Ziegler knows a little something about caddies, Eaton's selection notwithstanding. Ziegler and Eaton became friends about 10 years ago when this tournament was held at Jeremy Ranch, which is where the former Jazz center lives. Eaton was introducing the players on the first tee when Ziegler jumped onto a golf cart and yelled at him.
"I called him Little Man, because I was two feet taller than he was on that cart," he recalls.
This led to a friendship for some reason. Ziegler attended NBA games until Eaton retired. "I haven't been to one since," he says. He has turned Eaton into a car racing fan; they attended a NASCAR event together in Atlanta.
When Ziegler plays in the Franklin Quest tournament, he stays with Eaton and his family. Last year Ziegler learned at the last moment that his regular caddie would be unable to participate in the tournament. He asked his host to fill in. Eaton got the call again this year because Ziegler's caddie has cancer.
"(Eaton) is expensive, but he's unemployed," Ziegler joked.
Eaton has developed his own style as a caddie. "I stay out of the way," he says. None of that hovering over the shoulder and tossing grass in the air for him. His forte is psychology.
"He knows how to handle pressure," says Ziegler. "When I'd get mad, he'd tell me to zip it up."
Considering the results, this could be the beginning of a trend. We could see other NBA players serve as caddies in the future, provided the skies are clear. There are a number of potential candidates out there. Greg Ostertag - practice putting on his hair. Charles Barkley - loves the game, but never shuts up. Tim Hardaway - a wild driver. Karl Malone - Harley doubles as a cart. Michael Jordan - used to frequent traveling; Manute Bol - sees over trees to check doglegs.
Of course, Ziegler's caddie wasn't the only one to help his game. Ziegler's son, Tony, a teaching pro, fixed his swing recently.
"I had a reverse pivot," Ziegler explains. "My knees were in too much and I was moving too far forward."
Whatever. That was three weeks ago, and this week, voila, his best tournament showing since joining the Senior Tour in 1989. After two rounds of 70, he shot a 64 closer. "And he had five or six putts that just missed," said the Human Lightning Rod.
Asked when he last won a tournament, Ziegler said, "Probably back in the '30s. It's been a while. I've gone through a miserable streak of golf."
After sinking his final putt of the day, Ziegler gave his caddie a high five, which was nice but not very smart. He should have checked for lightning first.