Charity effort gives fans once-in-a-lifetime experience

text size

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- When you know that you're going to caddy for one of the PGA TOUR's top stars, it would stand to figure that the expectation level is pretty high. Once you know that star is Vijay Singh or Phil Mickelson and the expectations probably get even higher.

Michael Brown eyes things up with Vijay Singh. (Russ Holden/GFAC)

Still, neither Michael Brown nor John Harmon had any idea how great their experiences would be during practice rounds at the FBR Open.

"It was great -- it was far more than I expected," said Brown, who was on the bag for Vijay Singh during Tuesday's practice round at TPC Scottsdale. "Vijay could not have been nicer. It was just a great day."

Harmon, who caddied for Mickelson during Wednesday's pro-am, said he was also struck by how accommodating his player was.

"It was the sports experience of my life," he said. "I didn't have a lot of expectations going in, but even more than the caddying and being impressed by his game, the best part was getting to know him. It was nice to see him in that type of light."

Both got their opportunities through winning bids in an auction for Caddy For A Cure, a not-for-profit organization that auctions off opportunities nationwide for fans to caddy with TOUR pros during practice rounds of TOUR events.

The guiding force for this effort is Russ Holden, who himself has held the bag for Bernhard Langer and Aaron Baddeley.

"I was working at Woodfield Country Club, which was the home course for Bernhard Langer," Holden said. "And one of my best friends and his wife gave birth to Christian Collins almost twelve years ago," he said. "Christian was afflicted with a disease called Fanconi Anemia, which is a rare form of leukemia. It is a devastating disease that was formerly almost always terminal, and the standard of life for the patient was not good.

"When I saw Christian for the first time I fell in love with him and my mind began to work with a way to stop this dreaded disease," he said.

A short time later, circumstances intervened.

John Harmon talks things over with Phil Mickelson. (Russ Holden/CFAC)

"Bernhard was playing a lot more in the U.S. in the early nineties and it was tough for his regular caddy to make the trip from England, so he asked me if I wanted to caddy for him and I guess you could say Caddy for a Cure was born."

So far, Holden says the group has raised roughly $150,000 for charities around America. He said there are usually four charities that benefit from the auctions each time one is staged.

"Two are constant and two depend on what charities are associated with each tournament," he said. "We always give money to the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund and the (PGA) TOUR has a benevolent association for caddies and their families that we will always donate to."

Brown said he was surprised how much a caddy has to do for his player each week.

"There's so much stuff besides what goes on on the course," he said. "There's things on the driving range and other places. It's a lot of work."

Harmon, meanwhile, called on some experiences he's had caddying for daughter, Mikayla, an established junior golfer. Both of Harmon's children got a big surprise after Mickelson sent his regular caddy, Jim "Bones" Mackay, out to the car.

"He came back and had two 2004 Masters flags that Phil signed and personalized to my kids," he said. "I had heard that Phil was a pretty nice guy, but he really is that nice."

For Mickelson, the feeling was mutual.

"John was terrific," he said. "He's got a little daughter, not little, 13, who is a really good player, been playing in some national junior events, and we're trying to get his son to play a little bit. He's only eight. But it worked out well. He's really a neat guy, and we had a great day."