Being on the bag for a US Open Championship victory is something every caddie dreams of. Craig Connelly lived that dream when his man Martin Kaymer won the 2014 US Open in stunning fashion at Pinehurst. The Scot also caddied for Paul Casey when this event was last held at the notoriously challenging Oakmont Country Club, so who better to give us some valuable insight on the week ahead…
“This place is tough,” were the first words out of Connelly’s mouth when we spoke to him on the busy driving range here on the outskirts of Pittsburgh.
“The key is making sure you hit the fairways and give yourself a chance to then put your ball in a good spot on the green. Once you miss the fairway, you’re out of play. You’ve literally got no shot into the green. So you have to have a clear strategy and be able to accept a bogey is fine sometimes.
“Even if you find a lie, you’ll still struggle to find the green. The rough is not as bad as what I was expecting though and I actually believe it was worse nine years ago. Some spots you can get lucky, but you don’t have control of the golf ball from anywhere out of the rough, so getting up and down becomes very difficult.”
‘Wee Man’, as he’s affectionately known on the golfing circuit, got to witness one of the finest Oakmont rounds of recent times when Casey carded a second round 66 back in 2007, on a day when many of the sport’s big names were struggling to break 80, and the average score was close to 77.
Amazingly, 154 of the 156 man field failed to break par that day.
Asked about how much had changed from those days to 2016, Connelly delved into his memory bank.
“There are less trees here now than when I was here in 2007 with Paul. From 1994 to 2007 this place changed dramatically in the way it looks – I think they’ve taken every tree away. In terms of the actual golf course, it’s pretty much the same – tough!”
The pace of the greens here in Pennsylvania has been the talk of the golfing world over the past week or so, with the scary lush stuff expected to run at around 14 or 14.5 on the stimpmeter.
Although Connelly concedes the greens will be a mighty challenge, he does not seemed fazed by the challenge every player-caddie team will face this week.
“The greens aren’t as quick as I was expecting yesterday. Apparently a few guys played on Sunday and with the wind they were virtually unplayable. I think they’re doing their best to throw a lot of water on them and not double cut them and roll them, but they’re still treacherous. Trying to get on the right side of the hole is so hard, so it’s almost impossible to keep the ball under the hole.
“You’re going to have a lot of downhill putts inside six feet where on normal greens you think the putt might move a little bit, but out here six-footers can break as much as a foot and even more.”
Undoubtedly one of Connelly’s career highlights came at the 2014 US Open, where Kaymer strolled to an eight shot victory.
The memories of that win, and the feelings that have stemmed from it since are still very fresh for Connelly.
“It feels special every time we come to the US Open. When you look at the trophy and see your man’s name on it, it fills you with confidence and it brings back amazing memories. Martin has won it before, so why can’t he do it again? Craig Connelly
“Martin’s name is on the trophy and they can never ever take that away from him, so yeah, it’s special working for a guy that has won this Major. You see all the USGA signs and it gives you good memories and vibes.”
There is no room for complacency when you are a bagman, and the 2014 Caddie of the Year has definitely done his homework for this week.
“At The Masters you know what it’s all about. You know the course, you know where the pins and tees are going to be. It’s the same with an event like the French Open. And with Martin having never played here before this week you look at things a little more carefully, so every day is a school day.”
