Ohio's Golf Magazine June 2009 : Page 1617 Questions John Buchna, Tour Caddie (continued from page 15) he was going to go back there to work as an assistant club pro. So I talked with Joey then, and when the weather broke I started with him. I have been working with him ever since. This is year 26. On the 8th hole, the dogleg left, I told him to hit a 4 iron. He hit a 4 iron and hit it right behind a tree. Everybody makes mistakes. You have been working continually with Joey for longer than any other caddie and player. Many players change caddies about as often as they change putters. How have you been able to work together for so long? I am the longest by far. It is patience on both people’s part. Joey is a very patient guy, and we are complete opposites. It’s hard to explain, to be honest with you. We are just opposites and I guess opposites attract. I get there early and he’s always late. It’s pretty weird. At Canterbury there were a couple of times where you basically told him to change clubs. It doesn’t seem like you are afraid to tell him what to do. That is what I get paid for. I am not chicken out there. I make mistakes, too. I got my ass chewed on Friday or Saturday (at Canterbury). On the 8th hole, the dogleg left, I told him to hit a 4 iron. He hit a 4 iron and hit it right behind a tree. Everybody makes mistakes. He wasn’t real happy about that one. What is the biggest difference between the PGA Tour and Champions Tours for you? Starting on Friday, because you’ve gotta get up and go. Obviously the five majors are four rounds, but the rest are just three. Starting on Friday is strange. What is funny is that on Thursday’s round (at the Senior PGA Championship) he goes to me, “Well, it is a four day tournament, we’ve got time.” When it is a three day tournament, you have to fire at those pins and get going. These guys are pretty good out here. Do you miss being on the PGA Tour? Yes. I gotta be honest with you, it is the money. When he won Wachovia (in 2004), I made $100,000 that week. This week (at the Champions Tour’s Principal Charity Classic in West Des Moines, Iowa) we’re going for $1.7 million instead of $6.5 million last week in Dallas (at the PGA’s HP Byron Nelson Invitational). It is the money and the crowds. It is. Would you consider going back to the PGA Tour while Joey is still playing on the Champions Tour? No. You know what, I am 54 years old and I like my cart. It’s fun. We were at Newport Beach at the Toshiba. It’s a flat golf course and so I said I would walk. The first hole is like a 3-iron. I am walking down and he (Joey) says to me, “What are you doing?” I told him I was going to walk, it was flat, so he said, “Nah, just 16 JUNE 2009 • WWW.OHIOSGOLF.COM go take the cart.” Most of the time, if he wants to ride, I have to carry. But he walks most of the time. Do you plan to retire when Joey retires? Actually, I have never really thought about it. I thought about caddying for the kid (Jamie Sindelar, a freshman at Ohio State) when he gets good. And I think he will, too. You talked about the money you earned when Joey won at the Wachovia. It has been said that in past years Steve Williams would have be near the top of the money list if his share of Tiger’s earnings counted. Are caddies worth the money they earn on the Tour? He has never hit a shot in his life. I’ve never hit a shot out there. The player knows what he is doing. My guy would have been successful without me. Tiger Woods would be successful without him. He does a great job, you know, but we’re not hitting any shots. As far as what he makes, I have no idea. I would love to know. Steve is a good guy. He is a little pompous, but he and I have been friends. The player makes the whole deal, though. I would love to know what that guy makes. He’s got his own foundation. There are a lot of tales about the party lifestyle of some PGA Tour caddies. Is it still that way for Tour caddies, or have things changed? Nope. Not at all. That has changed. And it changed when Tiger Woods came. Because once Tiger came in, what happened was the money got so good. It used to be at the TPC in Jacksonville, people couldn’t wait to get there because you would go from Bay Hill to Jacksonville and everybody couldn’t wait to get to this place, Monkey’s Uncle, on Sunday night to party. And it is not that way anymore. It has changed. On the Champions Tour it is so much more laid back, and on the regular tour it is tougher. Players put up with that years ago, but now they don’t. What is a typical tournament day for you for the 20 or so hours you are not on the course? Is all the travel tough on your family? Watch TV, watch the Weather Channel. I try to take care of my accommodations for the following weeks. Lunch, laundry, normal stuff like everybody else does. Joey and I, we hang out, but not that much. I run around with other caddies, but things have changed so much, though. I have only been married for 5 years. I met my wife at a 30th high school reunion. She knew what she was getting into. She is very good about it. She is very, very smart when it comes to golf. What are the biggest changes you have noticed from when you started as a caddie? Everybody has these range finders and these stupid things you put on the greens. I’m old school. It is a half a club uphill. It is a half a club downhill. It has gotten way, way, way too tech in Publication List |
