Greg Bodine’s fingers quivered and his voice trembled. A cluster of his backside eyelashes quickly supported a teardrop earlier than it cascaded down his cheek and onto his caddie bib.
Bryson DeChambeau — Bodine’s boss of 13 months — had simply gained the U.S. Open for the second time. Bodine had simply develop into a serious championship-winning caddie. There was apparent emotion surrounding the end result because the 36-year-old looper fielded questions from a small group of reporters on Pinehurst’s 18th inexperienced, whereas DeChambeau accepted his trophy.
DeChambeau raised the reclaimed piece of {hardware} over his head. What membership did Bryson hit for the successful bunker shot? The group erupted. Did you say something to him earlier than the spherical? DeChambeau went off on his victory lap. How did Bryson get his recreation so far?
Normal stuff, the questions requested instantly to each caddie whose participant has simply gained a trophy. Then: “How are you feeling?”
Bodine let loose a deep exhale. He dipped his head and stared on the placing floor upon which the small group stood. A protracted pause. “So, there’s a backstory,” Bodine mentioned, his thoughts going again 13 months to the day DeChambeau employed him. The tears — they have been flowing now.
“The day that Bryson known as,” Bodine mentioned. “My spouse and I came upon that she had a miscarriage. We have been really on the hospital when Bryson known as me.”
Caddying by no means actually felt like a job for Bodine.
He performed golf competitively rising up, and in highschool, he already had his sights set on carrying the bag for his cousin, Andrew Putnam, a promising younger participant within the Seattle space, as soon as he began his pursuit {of professional} golf. That dream grew to become a actuality after which it shortly snowballed right into a profession. In 2014, two years after first looping for Putnam at PGA Tour Q-College, Bodine, often known as “G-Bo” on tour, secured then-rookie Tony Finau’s bag.
He caught with the now six-time tour winner for practically seven years. He accompanied Finau to his rise to the highest 10 on this planet earlier than they parted methods in 2020. Why? The pair merely wasn’t successful collectively. Bodine had a younger household again at dwelling — his sons, Brooks and Parker, have been 3 and 1 years outdated on the time, respectively. Kelsey, Bodine’s spouse, had her fingers full with the 2 boys. Finau was taking part in 30 to 35 weeks a yr, and the tournaments that made the gig price it have been changing into uncommon. It was time for a change. It was time for Bodine to consider coming dwelling.
The @nelkboys turned Bryson’s personal caddie towards him… pic.twitter.com/qlpJclTVLM
— Crushers GC (@Crushers_GC) February 19, 2024
After a brief stint caddying for Patrick Rodgers, Bodine knew what he wished to do. He returned to Kirkland, Wash., to pursue a distinct dream, one which took a while to settle into. In March of 2021, the Pacific Northwest native returned to his pre-caddying existence — regular, easy household life — and got down to launch an indoor golf facility known as Evergreen Golf Membership. Bodine devoted a big chunk of his caddie earnings to the enterprise and pitched it to traders, together with his co-founder, former Seahawks participant Jermaine Kearse. By the winter of 2022, the corporate was off and working.
“I had a handful of individuals attain out to ask me to return again and caddie, on the PGA Tour and on LIV,” Bodine says. “However I used to be dedicated to getting Evergreen off the bottom.”
As soon as that was achieved and Evergreen was working easily, Bodine may begin to direct his full focus towards what had actually drawn him away from life on tour: his household. Kelsey was pregnant with their third little one.
“Being again dwelling, one factor that we have been trying ahead to was rising our household and beginning that subsequent chapter,” Bodine says. “My spouse was pregnant. She was in her second trimester. We instructed a handful of individuals and we have been getting near discovering out the gender.”
One night in early Might of 2023, Kelsey knew one thing was incorrect with the child — very incorrect. They booked an appointment that evening for very first thing the subsequent day. That morning, earlier than gathering their issues and departing for the hospital, Bodine picked up an incoming name on his iPhone. He was greeted by the voice of Brett Falkhoff, DeChambeau’s agent, on the opposite line.
“Bryson’s making a caddie change, and he’s desirous about listening to what you’re as much as,” Falkhoff mentioned. “OK if he provides you name?”
With out a lot thought, Bodine obliged. He was shocked by the inquiry, however not shocked. DeChambeau had been taking part in on the LIV tour for nearly a yr and he hadn’t seen a lot success. Falkoff described DeChambeau’s recreation as “all-time low” through the temporary name, Bodine mentioned. When looping for Finau on the PGA Tour, they’d been paired with DeChambeau ceaselessly and all the time obtained alongside.
GO DEEPER
YouTube golf is taking on. Will the PGA Tour ‘like and subscribe’?
However the entire ideas, reminiscences and wonders provoked by the decision flashed by way of Bodine’s mind with little permanence. He couldn’t take into consideration caddying. The decision with Falkoff shortly slipped his thoughts.
On the hospital, Kelsey was taken into a non-public room the place she underwent check after check. Bodine sat within the hallway, anxiously ready for his spouse to emerge with some semblance of hopeful information — a glimmer of hope for his or her little one. That’s when Bodine noticed his cellphone flash with one other incoming name: Bryson DeChambeau.
“I didn’t inform him what was happening, he most likely simply thought I used to be sitting at my work or at my home or one thing,” Bodine says.
The pair caught up for a couple of minutes, the dialog spanning from the state of DeChambeau’s recreation to Bodine’s expertise caddying in occasions just like the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. It flowed nicely — they gave the impression to be on the identical web page. So that they mentioned goodbyes, agreeing to name one another again and reconnect later within the day. Nonetheless Bodine gave DeChambeau no indication of his whereabouts, his household state of affairs, or his emotional misery.
Because the hours glided by, the check outcomes started to return in. The Bodines’ worst nightmare had come true.
“Are you able to be in Tulsa in 4 days?” DeChambeau requested nonchalantly over the cellphone later that night.
Bodine didn’t know learn how to reply. He had entertained the decision with DeChambeau not realizing if it might finish in a caddying job, not to mention one which began in 4 days — 4 days after the miscarriage. His ideas have been a jumbled mess. So have been Kelsey’s.
“Can I’ve a day to consider it?”
Bodine and his spouse couldn’t make the choice on their very own — it was too laborious to even suppose. So that they turned to household. They sat down for breakfast along with his mother and father and dinner with hers. They approached shut buddies and mentors. They trusted their circle with the unattainable job of processing a career-changing alternative whereas they remained shocked with shock and grief. The LIV match may function a much-needed distraction, even when the job didn’t work out. However may Bodine deal with it? Was the household ready for this? Is that this a superb factor? They turned to religion.
“The evening earlier than, earlier than something suspicious was happening with Kelsey’s physique, I by no means thought I’d caddie once more, and I believed we have been having a 3rd little one that fall,” Bodine mentioned. “I’m a really faith-driven man, so I form of took it as God telling us that this can be a door opening, and that was a door closing.”
DeChambeau has been on a run within the majors since Bodine took over caddie duties. (Warren Little / Getty Photos)
Everybody was on board, as long as everybody was going to Tulsa. Brooks’ sixth birthday was that week, and Bodine wasn’t spending it with out him. Parker was coming alongside too. The household of 4 — plus Bodine’s mom — packed up their stuff and booked their flights to Oklahoma and set out on their new, sudden chapter.
“You have a look at your children, and weeks like that can remind you the way treasured they’re.”
DeChambeau was struggling on LIV — badly. He was persistently ending exterior of the highest 20 in 48-man occasions. His finest end result on LIV to date was a tie for sixteenth place.
In the meantime, Bodine was working on pure adrenaline. He readjusted to the bodily burdens of caddying and DeChambeau’s taking part in type by day, and by evening, the household celebrated Brooks’ birthday on the resort pool and the pizza joint throughout the road. Nobody within the group may have predicted their week would appear to be this. But it surely did. And it was one thing to be pleased about. They tried, accepting intermittent success, to smile by way of the ache.
That week in Tulsa, with Bodine on his bag, DeChambeau completed in a tie for fifth, capturing 12-under-par to take dwelling a $703,333 paycheck. With the usual 7 p.c caddie price, it’s protected to say Bodine had a superb first match, too. One thing was clicking.
The household headed dwelling 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 one stroke again heading into the again 9 on Sunday at Oak Hill. He ended the match in a tie for fourth place, his finest end in a serious since his 2020 U.S. Open win at Winged Foot. That week, Bodine carried the bag, obtained his yardage numbers and browse greens, however his coronary heart was elsewhere. Kelsey was again dwelling and recovering.
The subsequent week, DeChambeau had extra success: a top-10 end at LIV’s D.C. occasion. Two weeks later DeChambeau posted a prime 20 on the U.S. Open at LACC. The run continued. The unretired caddie carried on.
“These first few months I used to be in a position to do it and get away with it,” Bodine mentioned. “Bryson was there to play golf. I didn’t need pity or something. I’ve instructed him that I’m all the time going to be able to be his greatest cheerleader, however there was quite a bit happening.”
Bodine wanted a cheerleader of his personal.
It was early night in Hertfordshire, England. Bodine walked, alone, down the primary few holes of the Centurion Membership, making ready his yardage ebook for the LIV occasion that coming weekend. DeChambeau had practically gained final week’s occasion in Spain, and The Open was quick approaching: Bodine had work to do. He determined to exit onto the course and get a head begin on his preparation for the week.
By the fifth gap, all of it grew to become an excessive amount of. Standing on his personal in the midst of the empty fairway, Bodine fell aside.
He known as dwelling, to Kelsey.
“I don’t really feel like I’m alleged to be right here proper now,” Bodine instructed her.
The emotions have been coming, all the time there throughout their frequent cellphone calls when Bodine was on the highway. “We’d usually spend nights attempting to assist one another by way of this entire factor,” he mentioned.
His subsequent name was to DeChambeau.
“I don’t suppose I might be right here proper now.”
DeChambeau knew what Kelsey and Bodine had been battling the final six weeks, however till that time, he hadn’t seen what sort of form Bodine was actually in. The caddie who didn’t miss per week in seven years with Finau caught a flight dwelling to Seattle the subsequent day, and DeChambeau discovered fill-ins for the match.
“Bryson knew the floor layer, however I’m fairly good at displaying as much as work. As a caddie, you possibly can’t actually have everybody really feel sorry for you. Your job is to be an enabler and to raise your participant up. I utterly hit a wall after Spain. I instructed him I wouldn’t be doing this except I believed it was completely essential,” Bodine mentioned.
When Bodine obtained again to Kelsey and the boys, he determined it was finest for him to remain in Seattle for The Open, too. He needed to press pause. He didn’t know if he’d ever caddie once more. Nothing else mattered. Nothing besides dwelling. Bodine began going to remedy to deal with the nervousness he was feeling within the wake of the miscarriage, and he labored by way of his feelings to unpack the supply of his response. He sat on his again porch with Kelsey for various late-night talks. DeChambeau checked in each couple of days. He frolicked with the boys and obtained again right into a routine.
Three weeks handed, and he was nonetheless mentally fried. But it surely was time for a choice: A two-week stretch of home LIV occasions have been arising, with LIV Greenbrier in West Virginia being the primary. DeChambeau wished Bodine to return again. Kelsey was as soon as once more supportive. There was nonetheless a stable probability Bodine thought he would possibly find yourself flying dwelling on the Tuesday of the match. His mother and father agreed to tag alongside for the journey. It was price a shot.
Bodine returned to DeChambeau’s bag in time for the latter’s 58 at Greenbrier final yr. (Eakin Howard / Getty Photos)
13 birdies.
With Bodine on the bag, within the pouring rain, DeChambeau made 13 birdies — and one bogey — to shoot a historic 58 through the Sunday spherical of LIV Greenbrier. He got here from behind and gained his first occasion on LIV by six pictures, leaping into the air when the ultimate birdie putt dropped.
Bodine stood close by, an umbrella resting on his shoulder as he watched in disbelief, a smile forming between his ears. The pair are again this week as LIV returns to the West Virginia resort.
“I appeared round and I used to be like, I’m nonetheless mentally drained, and I nonetheless don’t know the place life goes to take me, however I knew I had made the appropriate selections,” Bodine mentioned. “I made the appropriate choice to go dwelling from the U.Ok, and the appropriate choice to return again for Greenbrier. With how the whole lot went on the course, with Bryson successful, it simply felt like a big sense of gratification and thankfulness.”
It was the identical overwhelming wave of emotion Bodine felt on the 18th inexperienced at Pinehurst No. 2.
There have been too many moments over the previous 13 months when Bodine had simply held it collectively, whether or not that was to be a superb husband or father or caddie. If he discovered something from this ongoing means of therapeutic, it was to belief. Belief that life will work itself out. Belief the circle round you. Belief that typically, it’s OK to only let go.
“It’s been a battle,” Bodine mentioned, “However I knew I used to be there for a motive. I knew that’s the place I used to be alleged to be.”
(Prime photograph of Bryson DeChambeau, left, and Greg Bodine: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Photos)
