Font Size:

The young man's name is Justin.  He's from Springfield, Missouri and this will go down as one of his most memorable summers.

At 16 years old he was one of the youngest caddies in the recent Cox Classic golf tournament at Champions Run in Omaha.  The Nationwide Tour features many of the best players in the world and Justin's Pro is from down under.  I had a chance to play a few holes with Australian Scott Gardiner during one of his practice rounds and in the process I learned about Justin's role in the Omaha tournament.

The two actually hooked up in Springfield, Missouri several weeks earlier when Gardiner asked to be assigned a local caddy for the tournament stop there.  Justin is a promising young golfer and knows the game well.  Gardiner decided to bring him on the team, and after the tournament in Springfield, invited Justin to travel to Omaha to carry his bag for the Cox Classic.  Justin's grandparents live in Omaha so the arrangements worked well.

Gardiner ended up missing the cut by one stroke, so Justin's work in Omaha ended after the second round.  But in the process, he learned a great deal about the finer points of the game and what life on the Nationwide Tour is like.  Which is exactly one of the reasons Gardiner hired Justin in the first place, to help the young man with his own golf game. 

I've included Gardiner explanation which he shared with me during our practice round at Champions Run. 

Knicely Done!