John Paul Fitzgerald squatted like a Sumo wrestler behind Thomas Bjorn's golf ball which lay 15 feet to the left of the tight final day 13th pin. He had hands on knees, elbows pointing high as he perused the subtle putt from off the green. Suddenly he jumped up and started gesticulating wildly to his boss along the line that he thought the putt was going to take. Bjorn, stony faced, cross checked the assessment and proceeded to rattle the ball into the back of the hole to go two ahead of Bernhard Langer in the BMW International.
There was no air punching, no celebration from the Danish camp, there were five holes to go, nothing to rejoice in yet. A couple of days before, after Bjorn had shot a nine under 63, JP told me about his alliance with the Dane for last week only. The 63 was not as impressive as the 69 he shot the first day. He obviously played impeccable golf for his nine-under score. His caddie feels that "jet lagged and temporarily off form, Bjorn milked the course for 69 out of golf that was closer to a score of 74 or 75". This is the sign of a great golfer.
JP had been in America with his permanent boss Paul McGinley for the PGA and the NEC Invitational. He had planned to take a two week break on completion of the US stint. Until Bjorn approached McGinley and asked if he could borrow his porter for a week. Paul was quite happy to give his sherpa the chance to observe Thomas at a high point of his game.
JP was suitably honoured to take up the offer and was quite happy to alter his plans slightly. Ken Conboy, Bjorn's regular caddie was at breaking point after an 11-week-in-a-row stint. However, given the Murphy's law of caddying - "have a week off player will win", this was a brave move by Conboy.
JP's first move after an overnight flight from Cincinnati was to establish how far Bjorn hit the ball. As usual he found that he hit it nowhere close to the distance that the player himself thought. The catch there could have been that Munich is quite a way above sea level. This means that the ball flies further than normal, especially for players like the Dane who hits the ball with a high trajectory. JP could not have wished for better conditions for the first two days play. On the North Eichenried course, which would make Holland look decidedly undulating, with no wind for the opening two rounds, the new man on the bag was getting a relatively easy introduction.
A one-off caddie can sometimes be an advantage. The player is unlikely to show aggression towards a substitute caddie. I am sure after almost three months together at the top of many leader boards, Ken and Thomas had been involved in some intense situations. I remember Bruce Edwards telling me that Greg Norman went on to win the week after he stopped caddying for him. "He was so busy hating me on the course he couldn't concentrate on the job in hand".
JP has been caddying for McGinley for over two years. He is a excellent golfer, playing to a two handicap today, due to a game on leave of absence, so to speak. John Paul was a scratch golfer before he went into full-time caddying. He was twice a finalist in the Irish Close Championship. He beat Darren Clarke in the semi-final in 1987 only to be beaten by Eddie Power in the final. In 1992 he lost to Gary Murphy in the final. So you could say that JP certainly had the right credentials for top professional golf. You may go as far as saying he is over-qualified for caddying. He is not alone on tour as a low handicapped caddie, there are at least a dozen others. It must be a slightly frustrating position for a good golfer to be in. Who knows if they have ever got the most out of their game, used their potential to the maximum?
DES SMYTH who has played a lot of golf with JP reckons that he is a great putter. Mainly because he is aggressive on the greens. McGinley sometimes accuses JP of under reading his putts because he putts at a more dead weight pace. A more aggressive putter can afford to be less precise with the line. Bjorn, JP agrees is an aggressive putter. This may be why JP was so confident in giving lines to his temporary boss.
Thomas is not the typical Scandinavian. According to JP he is more likely to ask for a coke and a fag instead of the traditional cry from the Nordic camp for water and a muesli bar on every other tee. Bjorn, however, is a typically fiery Scandinavian on course. He has permanently flared nostrils and a protruding chin which would suggest even to the unsuspecting that there could be trouble ahead. Good golf and recent success have managed to contain his temperament this summer. JP felt he was in a better position than his regular toter to quell the "Great Dane" as he affectionately refers to Thomas.
When Beethoven's fifth rang out from the large gallery congregated around the 12th tee last Sunday the Dane's nostrils were fully extended. It wasn't a musical fanatic in the crowd, but a German with a moblie phone. Thomas was in the process of hitting his seven iron towards one of the trickier pins of the day when the phone rang. "Churn those bluddie phones uff" (a blended accent of Danish and Mancunian) he hissed in the direction of the offending telephonist. He is commonly referred to as "Northern Tom" with his English accent sounding more like his regular caddie's Manchester vernacular every day. This tested the Dane's composure to the limit at a crucial stage of the days proceedings.
JP chewed a little more vigorously than normal on his gum when Bjorn was in the process of calming himself after the mobile phone interruption. The Dubliner shook his head in empathy with his fragile player as his 25 foot putt slid agonisingly past the cup. JP adapted well to the challenges of working for a top player. He may have curtailed his rest period in Dubai by a week, but the "Great Dane" made it worth his while, by going on to win the tournament.
