CADDIES' ROLE/COLIN BYRNE:Miguel-Ángel Jiménez's former caddie must now realise his mistake

THERE IS an unofficial theory on tour that is widely entertained in the caddie shack: as soon as a long-standing caddie/player relationship ends you should get a substantial bet down on the player to win the very next week.

Mike Kerr had worked for the charismatic Spaniard Miguel-Ángel Jiménez for over four years. They were a successful partnership over those years, and they enjoyed each other's company on the course and on various voyages around the golfing world. If you observed the two together you would almost certainly surmise they were very comfortable in each other's company.

Mike is in his 30s and Miguel in his 40s. Age is more relevant for players than caddies. Despite being a serious contender on the European Tour over a couple of decades Miguel is at the age when you are not too sure how long this form may last. There is no hard-and-fast rule for the age of decline but in terms of average peak-performance trends Jiménez has extended his life cycle already.

Despite his typically Spanish attitude to camaraderie and good living, I did in recent years frequently notice Jiménez's distinctive ponytail bouncing about on treadmills as I passed hotel gyms. His relative maturity had not taken away his hunger, and despite maintaining the lifestyle of the bon vivant he was including gym visits in his daily regime.

Nevertheless, Kerr decided that despite Jiménez's determination to stretch the glory years a little further it was time to move on with a younger player.

Nick Dougherty had just split up with his caddie of numerous years and became available. Obviously the talented young Englishman's bag would be much sought after. It wasn't a matter of Kerr just making the decision; there were others to be considered too.

The Players Championship at Sawgrass was to be Jiménez's and Kerr's last appearance together. They faded rather than burned out by making the cut but not making an impression on the leaderboard.

So when Kerr went to the locker-room after the final round he had to break the news to the amiable Spaniard of his decision to move on. Kerr had been preparing his resignation speech all week.

He was dreading it, as Jiménez had done nothing wrong and they still had a good relationship. It is always easier to part when the relationship has been fragile.

Kerr told me Jiménez made it very easy for him to break the news of his departure. He was gracious, understanding and encouraging and wished him much success with his new player.

This is in stark contrast to some other player/caddie partings, one or party learning of the divorce via text messages or curt phonecalls from an agent followed by frosty glances on the range or in the locker-room over the following months.

Just as life is a balancing act of swings and roundabouts so is a round of golf.

As unlikely as it was for the winner of the 2008 BMW PGA Championship to hole his 205-yard tee shot on the par-three fifth hole on Sunday, it was even more unlikely he would miss a 15-inch putt on the 15th green, which re-established equilibrium and meant that ultimately he had to endure a two hole play-off with Oliver Wilson.

The dedicated and ever-improving Wilson is a prominent feature on the European Tour leaderboard and is in danger of taking on Pádraig Harrington's old mantle of most consistent second-place finisher with more than a handful of runner-up prizes on tour in the past couple of years. But as with Pádraig a few years back, it is only a matter of time before Wilson sets the record straight.

Of course, in hindsight, one caddie's slightly hasty decision to change positions is another bagman's benefit. Paul Smith, who has caddied for Jiménez in the past and more recently was with Paul Broadhurst, took timely advantage of Kerr's decision to move on.

With Smith having suffered some health issues in recent years, it was an extremely popular win in the caddie shack. Kerr indeed was one of the first to extend his congratulations to the winning team.

From a personal perspective the (Retief) Goosen pendulum was taking a long time to swing back to positive after a litany of poor performances over the Burma Road at Wentworth in his long association with the European Tour.

Given it is the flagship event on tour, Retief has felt an obligation to support the PGA. It is the most convenient event he could possibly play in given that he lives less than five minutes from the course. But it is a case of horses for courses in professional golf, and this course has never suited this horse.

It was with an element of loyalty and a vow to make this the last effort to try to get to grips with the West course, which until last weekend had always been a good walk spoiled, that Retief returned last week.

The mature foliage and tasteful mansions that adorn the West at Wentworth make for what should be one of the most relaxing walks in golf. But if you don't putt well on poa annua greens then the tranquillity can turn quickly to turmoil.

Having been six over par standing on the 12th tee last Friday and heavily armed with a bad history at Wentworth, we knew the odds of Retief making the cut were very high.

With five birdies over the last seven holes, including an eight-foot putt on the last for par, he made the cut on the mark. By the 17th tee on Sunday, standing at seven under par, he looked to have an outside chance to win.

Besides the aptness to this game of the cliché about never giving up, I cannot explain the change in his performance apart from finally hitting a lot of good shots and holing some putts.

Sometimes it not that easy to simply see the shots ahead of you; they tend to blur with images and memories of previous encounters, be they good or bad.

I assume what happened last week was that Retief got his focus just right. And I suppose, given the success of last weekend, we will be back again next year.