On the field of the 2024 PGA Tour, there is an old man who has traveled through time and space, walking side by side with the best golfers of the modern era.
The legendary caddy who worked with PGA Tour champion C.T. Pan was Mike “Fluff” Cowan. In a recent interview with the media, Cowan talked about the reasons for the cooperation between the two. "I need a player and he needs a caddy," it's that simple.
In this blog, Galileo sports - a global supplier of golf net and golf hitting cages - will play detective and uncover the mystery behind caddie-Mike Cowan.As we all know, Cowan, is still working so hard for a 76-year-old on the PGA Tour. This article will reveal reveals the stories behind the caddies at major golf tournaments and how much they earn for you.
Don’t worry, we’ve done our homework and are ready to spill the beans.
First of all, we need to understand the job of golf caddies. They are not just helping players carry clubs, nor are they picking up balls. You know, not only do you not need to pick up balls in professional golf tournaments, but touching the balls at will can also cause problems. Violation and a penalty stroke will be imposed on the player. What a professional golf caddy has to do is work side by side with golfers and provide them with tactical advice. Therefore, in the professional arena, caddies need to have sufficiently professional golf skills, which is by no means an easy job.
In addition to being under the sun for a long time, a professional caddy also has to provide technical support to players, so his income is naturally high. According to information from the well-known magazine "Golf Master", the practice in professional competitions is: Under normal circumstances, the caddy can get 5% of the player's tournament bonus; if the player enters the top ten in the game, the caddy will get 7% of the bonus; If the player wins the championship, the caddy's dividend will rise to 10%.
Mike Cowan has been a professional caddy for more than 40 years. I used to work as a hotel waiter. When I served Woods, my weekly salary was US$1,000, plus 10% of the bonus for the first place, 9% of the bonus for the top ten, and 1% for other places. eight. When Cowan carried Tiger Woods' golf bag, Tiger Woods won two tournaments in 1996, and he won the Masters in 1997. In 1998, when Tiger Woods' performance hit a low point, he switched to hiring Williams, a New Zealand caddy, and they have been working together to this day.
Mike Cowan first served as a Ryder Cup caddy 40 years ago when the Ryder Cup was held at the Clock Tower. The competition was just as fierce then as it is now. Perhaps the biggest difference is in the luggage. “The stuff I got at that time was pretty much nothing – I think it was just a few sweats,” Mike Cowan said. “The treatment now is definitely much better than when I first came here. Now we receive all kinds of clothes. We flew over on a charter plane. Plus, the money they gave was pretty good. Some people said it wasn’t enough, but we thought it was enough. This competition… is really unique.”
No American has experienced as much as Mike Cowan, and few have experienced as many golfers as he has. Furyk, Mike Cowan's current boss, is the fourth player Mike Cowan has served in the Ryder Cup. In 1985, he played for Peter Jacobsen at the Belfry Stadium and four years later switched to playing for Fred Couples. [The following season, Couples hired Joe LaCava instead. 】In 1995, Peter Jacobson brought Mike Kirwan back to the Ryder Cup. Two years later, when Tiger Woods made his Ryder Cup debut at Valderrama, Mike Kirwan stood there. His side. This Ryder Cup is his fifth consecutive Ryder Cup playing for Furyk.
Mike Cowan feels that the biggest regret is that after participating in so many Ryder Cups, the US team has only won twice - the comeback in Brooklyn in 1999 and the one-sided victory in Valhalla last year.
After all, Mike Cowan’s most cherished memory is Valhalla a few years ago. That year, Furyk scored the winning point on the 17th hole. At that time, Jimenez reached out and gave Furyk a short putt to save par. "Mainly it was a matter of environment. Jim became the player to win the winning point, and that's a really good memory - quite exciting." Mike Kirwan said.
So what is the worst memory? In 1989, Mike Cowan returned to the 18th hole of the Belfry Course. The showdown between Fred Couples and Christy O'Connor was crucial. They were tied when they came to the 18th tee box. Fred Couples hit a 300-yard tee shot, and O'Connor's 2-iron carried the ball about 3.5 feet to the hole. It later proved that he didn’t even need to make that birdie putt.
"(Christie O'Connor's shot) is one of the most amazing shots in the history of golf," Mike Cowan said. "Freddie had a 9-iron and he hit it to the right. I was really proud of him. He was upset. That's probably my worst memory, even though I witnessed one of the greatest shots in the history of the tournament."
That wasn't the only surprising failure. When Woods lost to Costantino Rocca in 1997, Mike Cowan was by his side. In addition, at the Belfry Course in 2002, when Paul McGinley made a 6-foot par putt to draw with Furyk, Mike Cowan was also by his side. It was that half-point that helped Europe win.
Cowan, with his outspoken personality and trademark thick white beard, served as a caddy on the PGA Tour for nearly 50 years. His most notable partnerships include Jim Furyk, as well as serving as Tiger Woods' caddy for the first four seasons of his career, including the 1997 Masters. He also carried bags for Ed Sabo, Peter Jacobsen, Fred Couples and Michelle Wie.
Furyk mentioned Cowan before the game: "He is a dear friend of mine. I admire many aspects of Mike, but I am especially grateful for his ability to switch between different partnerships. He has always been a friend of mine, and now Our relationship has grown to the point where I feel like he's my friend first, but when we're on the course and he's got the bag and we get to work, he has to take on a different role. He has to be a caddy, a caddy for I serve.”
After Furyk won the championship, Cowan received a bonus of $90,000. "It's great to win a championship. That's what we're after," Cowan said. "Well, our lives are better, the prize money is great. If you like this sport, when your boss beats all the competitors that week, that kind of It feels wonderful too.”
Cowan is 76 years old and still showing up to the court week after week, carrying a 40-50 pound bag and working for five hours? Furyk said it has to do with these five words: "He loves what he does."
Cowan's answer echoed Furyk's when he was asked this week by the PGA Tour Champions' social media team about the key to happiness. “Do what you love,” Cowan said. "Money is an incidental part of good things, but money is not the key to happiness. You have to do the things you enjoy, let the unpleasant things slide past you, and move on."
This is exactly what he is doing. While "Fluff's" signature beard and muscular calves haven't changed, nor has his determination to be on the court with Furyk, Pan Zhengcong or anyone else, the years have been relentless.
"You know, it seems like he's going to be a caddy forever, but he probably won't be," Furyk said. "I'm definitely going to miss him when we're not here together anymore."
But Cowan isn't ready to think about that just yet. He recalls the best advice he ever received. "That's something I've lived by most of my life, and it's something I've always remembered since I first heard it," Cowan said. "That's what my grandfather said, 'Son, don't worry about anything. Everything. It will all fall into place.'
The role of the court in the game is very important. In the 2003 U.S. Open, Jim Furyk maintained a three-stroke advantage. At this time, Furyk took out the driver on the tee. Cowan promptly reminded him that it would be better to hit the tee shot with an iron. Furyk accepted, and his ball stayed firmly on the fairway. Furyk made bogey on that hole but won the U.S. Open. Furyk sincerely said to Cowan: "Thank you!". Cowan said of the caddy: "He's very calm when he's on the course with his bag on his back. It's a pleasure to be with him every day."
Do what you love, no matter how hard it is, this is the charm of golf, but also the reason why ordinary people are fascinated by it, want to improve your golf skills in the fine spare time, you can choose a galileo golf cage you like, no matter how cold or hot the weather, whether indoor or outdoor, you can start your golf journey!
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