The old adage goes that as a professional golfer on Tour you often see more of your caddie than your partner but Bryce Easton has found an easy way to get around that.
It was around 18 months ago that Easton's wife Lauren started caddying for him and since then the duo have gone from strength to strength.
The 2019 season not only saw Easton record his best European Tour finish with a tie for third at the South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg but also his best year on the European Challenge Tour as he finished 22nd on the Rankings.
The South African also made his World Golf Championships debut at the WGC-HSBC Champions and has made a positive start to the 2020 Race to Dubai, recording his lowest ever European Tour round with a 64 at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritus Open.
A 68 in round two at RACV Royal Pines Resort put him in an excellent position heading into the weekend at the Australian PGA Championship and Easton is enjoying being part of a husband and wife team on Tour.
"I was travelling so much playing; we were living in London and Lauren wasn’t enjoying her job at the time so we decided to have her on the bag and do this thing together," he said. "It’s a tough gig and the fact we are doing it together has been huge.
"It’s been a year and a half that she has been caddying and we’re loving it. The different places we get to go to and we can experience it together, which is a bit unique.
"It’s going okay - I’m there or thereabouts, it’s certainly not my caddie’s fault that I haven’t kicked on and done a little better. We’re loving the experience together and giving ourselves chances in great championships like this.
"Initially she bought a green perspective to it, it was a fresh perspective, not knowing all that much about golf.
"As she’s learned it’s become a professional thing. She knows a couple of key things that I’m trying to think about or feel from my golf swing - she’s very aware of all that. I ask her to remind me of things like that and she’s grown into being quite a good caddie."
It's also a family affair for Scot Calum Hill, who had brother Ian on the bag as he fired a second round 72 on the Gold Coast.
"It’s good, I really enjoy it with him," he said. "I don’t know if he enjoys it all the time but it’s easier for me to express myself and not think about what I’m going to say - if it’s offensive or not I know we’ll get over it.
"So it’s much easier for me and he’s doing a good job and picking up on it quite well. The more he’s on it, the better he’ll get. That will be progress for both of us."
