Tour News
What it’s like to caddy for a player who wins a Web.com Tour event
In case you missed it, a pair of incredible things happened on the Web.com Tour last week at the El Bosque Mexico Championship. Wesley Bryan, one-half of the Bryan Bros trick-shot duo, won his second event in six starts on the tour. And he did it not with his brother, George, on the bag, but with Callaway’s Social Media Manager, Chad Coleman, carrying his sticks.
Related: The clubs Bryan used to win in Mexico
Chad was kind enough to chat with us about his wild weekend cleaning clubs and calculating yardages, rather than creating content and calculating character counts. How did Coleman find himself in Mexico carrying a golf bag? Thanks to the power of social media, coincidentally enough. I asked him how he landed the gig.
How exactly did you ended up on Wesley’s bag at the El Bosque Mexico Championship for those who haven’t heard?
Yeah, it was pretty crazy how it happened. Wesley’s brother, George, couldn’t caddie for him that week, because he was Monday qualifying for the event the following week in Indiana. And so literally without even talking to me about it first, he sent out a tweet that said, “If this gets 100 retweets then Chad will caddie for me next week in Mexico,” or something like that.
Then he called Harry [Arnett, Callaway’s SVP of Marketing and Brand Management], got his approval, and made sure I could be out of the office. And THEN he texted me and said, “Pack your sunscreen. You’re coming to Mexico next week.” So at that point, I really didn’t have another choice.
Any previous experience looping, or competing in tournament golf?
I’ve definitely competed in a few tournaments before, but never have caddied on a professional level. So this was entirely new to me. Luckily, I got there in time to caddie for the Wednesday Pro-Am, so I could get the hang of it a bit before the competition started.
What was the toughest part of the gig?
Well, the good thing is that Wesley is a very self-sufficient player. He likes to read most of his own putts (and rightfully so — he’s one of the best putters out there), so the main things I focused on were keeping his clubs and grips clean and getting the right yardages for his tee and approach shots. We were at 6,000-feet elevation so the ball was going forever, so I had to learn how to factor that in plus the wind, slope of the hole, where we wanted to land the ball on the green, etc.
Do you have a new respect for pro loopers, and beyond that, pro golfers?
One-hundred percent. It’s a very tough job and pro caddies (and players, for that matter) don’t get nearly enough credit. It’s a grind out there, and is both physically and mentally exhausting. On Monday morning, when I was sitting in the airport, I was SO glad to be coming back home to my own bed and my normal routine. I was wiped out.
And to think that Wesley was going straight to Indiana to do the same thing all over again was pretty eye-opening. Don’t get me wrong — it’s incredibly fun out there. But it’s not as easy as people may think.
Wesley is obviously a friend of yours. What was it like working with him on course?
I think that was one of the big advantages we had out there, the fact that we are good friends on a personal level. We had a blast both on and off the course all week, and the fact that we were so comfortable around each other helped keep both of us calm and focused on the golf course. Wes is a big fan of the Biebs, so on the rare occasion he missed a shot, I would liven the mood with some horrible singing. We had a great time.
What the heck was it like being in contention and eventually winning on Sunday?
I was DEFINITELY more nervous than he was, both on the day he tied the course record with a 63 on Friday and when we had a three-shot lead standing on the 18th tee on Sunday. I was incredibly impressed with his demeanor the entire week.
And so yeah, on Sunday I really just tried to stay out of his way as much as I could. He was in the zone. The first time I really felt relief on Sunday was on the 18th green. He was reading his 6-foot birdie putt from the opposite side of the hole and I stepped in behind the ball just to confirm the line. I was looking down at the break for a few seconds — nervous as could be — then looked up at Wes, who was just staring at me with a huge grin on his face. It was at that point that it really sunk in that we were about to win this thing.
This has to be doubly surreal for you, since you’ve known the Bryan Bros since they were making trick-shot videos. Wesley comes out, qualifies for the Web.com Tour, wins two of his first six events, and is now heading to the PGA Tour. How crazy is that?
Yeah, it’s unreal. To think about how far he has come since we first signed him a year and a half ago is just ridiculous. I know how hard he works at his game, so to see him succeed like this is very gratifying for both me and everyone here at Callaway.
I’m not sure how many caddies have won in their professional debuts, but I assume you’re going to pull a Jim Brown and go out on top?
That’s right. I’m hanging up the bib.
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News
Photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
GolfWRX is live this week at the Wells Fargo Championship as a field of the world’s best golfers descend upon Charlotte, North Carolina, hoping to tame the beast that is Quail Hollow Club in this Signature Event — only Scottie Scheffler, who is home awaiting the birth of his first child, is absent.
From the grounds at Quail Hollow, we have our usual assortment of general galleries and WITBs — including a look at left-hander Akshay Bhatia’s setup. Among the pullout albums, we have a look inside Cobra’s impressive new tour truck for you to check out. Also featured is a special look at Quail Hollow king, Rory McIlroy.
Be sure to check back throughout the week as we add more galleries.
General Albums
- 2024 Wells Fargo Championship – Monday #1
- 2024 Wells Fargo Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2024 Wells Fargo Championship – Tuesday #2
WITB Albums
- Akshay Bhatia – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Matthieu Pavon – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Keegan Bradley – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Webb Simpson – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Emiliano Grillo – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Taylor Pendrith – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Kevin Tway – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
Pullout Albums
- New Cobra equipment truck – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Rory McIlroy – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- New Cobra equipment truck – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Eric Cole’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Custom Cameron putter – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Matt Kuchar’s custom Bettinardi – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Justin Thomas – driver change – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Rickie Fowler – putter change – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Rickie Fowler’s new custom Odyssey Jailbird 380 putter – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Tommy Fleetwood testing a TaylorMade Spider Tour X (with custom neck) – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Cobra Darkspeed Volition driver – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying about our Wells Fargo Championship photos in the forums.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
GolfWRX is on site this week in McKinney, Texas, at the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson (FKA the AT&T Byron Nelson).
Last year at TPC Craig Ranch, Jason Day ended a five-year winless streak. J-Day is in the field again, as are Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, and Will Zalatoris.
We have our usual assortment of general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums for your perusal. As always, we’ll continue to add links to additional albums as they make their way to us from the Lone Star State.
Check out links to all our photos below.
General Albums
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Monday #1
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Monday #2
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #1
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #2
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Pierceson Coody – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Kris Kim – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- David Nyfjall – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Adrien Dumont de Chassart – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Jarred Jetter – North Texas PGA Section Champ – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Richy Werenski – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Wesley Bryan – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Parker Coody – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Peter Kuest – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Blaine Hale, Jr. – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Kelly Kraft – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Rico Hoey – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Pullout Albums
- Adam Scott’s 2 new custom L.A.B. Golf putters – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Scotty Cameron putters – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Ben Griffin playing Maxfli golf ball
See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans
GolfWRX is live on site this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for the PGA Tour’s one-and-only two-man team event.
As usual, general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums — including some pretty spicy custom putters and headcovers — await your viewing.
Be sure to check back for more photos from the Big Easy, as we’ll continue to update this page with additional galleries throughout the week.
General Albums
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Monday #1
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Monday #2
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Tuesday #1
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Tuesday #2
WITB Albums
- Alex Fitzpatrick – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Austin Cook – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Alejandro Tosti – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- MJ Daffue – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Nate Lashley – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- James Nicholas – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Kevin Streelman – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Rasmus Hojgaard – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Tom Whitney – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- SangMoon Bae – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Daniel Berger – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Rory McIlroy – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Russ Cochrane – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Aldrich Potgieter – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Steve Stricker WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Drew Brees WITB (Legendary New Orleans Saints QB) – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Derek Carr (New Orleans Saints QB) – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Thriston Lawrence WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
Pullout Albums
- MJ Daffue’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Cameron putters – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Swag covers ( a few custom for Nick Hardy) – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Custom Bettinardi covers for Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Doug Ghim’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Patrick Cantlay spotted testing a Scotty Cameron blade putter – 2024 Zurich Classic
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Bill Mac
May 9, 2016 at 6:34 pm
Love it.
Zachary Jurich
Apr 29, 2016 at 8:48 pm
It would be cool if more web.com guys did stuff like this. I would kill to loop for a golfer that can actually hit it where you tell them.
Jonathan Daily
Apr 29, 2016 at 11:00 am
Some people say you should continue to post…but most of us know they are fools also.
MRC
Apr 28, 2016 at 4:56 pm
Great read!
You guys are money.
Other Paul
Apr 28, 2016 at 2:13 pm
Great story!