19th Hole

Caddie Corner: 15 questions with Reynolds Robinson, a veteran PGA Tour caddie

Published

2 years ago

Feb 18, 2022

In this new GolfWRX feature, called the “Caddie Corner,” we’ll be firing off questions to a different caddie every week on the PGA Tour.

Caddies, or “loopers,” as some call them, are the too-often-overlooked people who actually have a huge impact on players every week on the PGA Tour. They’re tasked with many objectives – everything from carrying the bag, raking bunkers and getting yardages, to playing psychologist on the golf course as their player competes for millions.

If you’re curious to learn more about the caddies, as well as their stories, lifestyle and insights, then welcome to the “Caddie Corner.”

In previous editions, we’ve talked to Shannon “Shan” Wallis (caddie for Jonas Blixt), Gerald “G.W.” Cable (caddie for Kevin Chappell) and Derrell Aton (caddie for D.A. Points).

This week, we peppered Reynolds Robinson (caddie for Joseph Bramlett) with a bunch of questions. Hopefully you enjoy this week’s Caddie Corner as much as we did!

First one is really easy. What’s your name, who do you caddie for, and who have you caddied for throughout the years?

My name is Reynolds Robinson, and I currently caddie for Joseph Bramlett. First bag on tour was Marco Dawson back in 2008 and since then I’ve caddied for multiple guys: Skip Kendall, Paul Stankowski, Steve LeBrun, Parker McLachlin, Brett Stegmaier, Notah Begay, Will Claxton… I’m trying to remember them all…there’s going to be some that I leave out. I caddied a tournament for Ryan Blaum, but there’s a bunch more man. I can’t remember them all right now.

How did you end up being a caddie on the PGA Tour and what’s your career progression been?

I’ll try to make it as quick as possible, but, before this I was a corporate accountant, so I did financial operational audits for Price Waterhouse Coopers and Honeywell, and I hated it. So, I got an opportunity to caddie for a guy in a Monday qualifier and I knew I wanted to caddie after I did that. I moved the family from Philly to Florida and started caddying at the Grand Lakes. My first professional bag was at the Final Stage of Q-School at Orange County National back in 2007. Miguel Carballo took me and we missed Tour by 1, but he asked me to go out on the Nationwide Tour with him. And from there, it was just a matter of networking with players and getting out here.

Just working your way up.

That’s it, man.

What’s the best restaurant where you go during a PGA Tour season where you’re excited to get to that event just to go to the restaurant?

It’s the Waste Management actually. I go to Snooze, an A.M. Eatery. It’s a breakfast spot all over the Phoenix area. Snooze has great breakfast, and I’ve also found it now at the Houston Open, it’s in La Jolla, at Torrey Pines. So wherever I can find Snooze, I eat breakfast there.

What’s your go-to snack on the course?

Whatever is on the tee. But normally like granola bars or some type of orange or apple, something like that. I try to be healthy.

What’s your favorite sport aside from golf, and what are some of your favorite teams and favorite players?

Basketball is my favorite sport outside of golf. Honestly, I haven’t watched it a ton in the last decade or so. I have two kids, 20 and 18. But my favorite team, once upon a time, was the 76ers. I had season tickets during the A.I. (Allen Iverson) era, so I got to go the finals when they played the Lakers, and I got to experience all that good stuff. If I watch now, I just want to see a good game. I don’t care who wins.

Love it. What’s on your music playlist right now?

Everything. Everything from gospel to Tainted Love by Soft Cell. I like Lil Wayne a lot, so I’ll listen to a lot of Lil Wayne. And Roddy Ricch is probably one of my favorites right now. But it could be anything for me.

Roddy’s great, a hot new up-and-comer. What’s been the most important lesson you’ve learned along the way about caddying, or golf in general?

The first thing that comes to mind is to always speak your mind with your player. The biggest regrets I’ve had caddying are not the things that I’ve said, they’re the things I’ve failed to say.

That’s deep. What’s your take on the slow play issue in golf if you think that there is one?

Sometimes I think there is a slow play issue. I think, from what I’ve seen, is that college kids are becoming a lot more deliberate and they’re being taught to take their time by coaches to go through their routines and even in situations where they might need to pick it up, they’re sticking to a certain routine and they’re going through it regardless of the circumstances.

What caddie is the most fun to be with on tour, whether it’s on the course or off the course?

Wow. Kip Henley. That’s an easy answer.

What’s the hardest course to walk on the tour?

It was Montreux, in my opinion. I’ve not yet been to Kapalua, although I hear Kapalua is the hardest one the walk. I’d like ot learn that one day, but Montreux for me in Reno was the hardest because of the thin air and the elevation and some of the holes were uphill all the way from the tee to the green so it was hard to breath and catch your breath on a lot of holes.

Caddies are known for having the best stories. Without incriminating yourself too much, what’s the funniest story you have about caddie life?

You gotta gimmie a second for this one. It might not be really that funny, but I don’t know (laughs). Nothing jumps out at me that might be funny for somebody reading. That’s a tough one on the spot…OK, I got one.

When I was caddying for Steve LeBrun, it was kind of funny, but not. I was caddying for him for 3 years, and we had a tournament once where he was striping the ball. He was hitting the ball inside of 12 feet all day long but he was making nothing. Like, it was one of those frustrating rounds where we could have been 8 or 9 under, but we were even par. We got to a hole and he was in between 6 and 7 iron, and we were talking, and he was like, “What do you like?”

I was starting to explain, and he was like, “Ah, it doesn’t matter. If I don’t hit it to a foot it won’t matter.”

So he just pulls a club and hits it. Then 3 holes later he calms down and asks me again what club I like. I was like, “Well, whichever one you can hit to a foot.”

He said, “I knew that was gonna come back to bite me.”

In terms of player-caddie banter, that’s one of my favorite stories.

That’s pretty strong right there. What’s your biggest “Uh oh, I messed up” moment of your career?

Ohh. Um, for me that’s a hard one because I don’t think in terms of “I messed up,” I think in terms of “I need to get that better for next time.” If that means anything.

Positivity…

Positivity. But I think the one – it was Steve LeBrun again – I was like “Sorry, dude.”

I was walking and talking with the caddies in the other group and players got to the ball, I walked and went to the sprinkler head and walked back to the ball, and instead of adding I subtracted. And so, we had the number and he hits this club and we were like, “Man, that is all over the flag…nope, that’s not all over the flag, that’s 20 yards long.”

OK, and I just turned and look at him and I’m like, “****, sorry man. I actually just subtracted that instead of added it.”

He was like, “Whatever dude. I’ve been with you for 3 years and you’ve never done that. So let’s go get it up and down.”

I’m surprised that doesn’t happen more often, honestly. If your player is a bit nervous going into a first tee shot or on the 72nd hole of a tournament, what’s something you might say to him to calm him down?

I say it before the round. Like with Joseph when we were trying to get his card in 2019. I told him we were going to go with the three P’s. Every shot was going to have a purpose, we were going to be patient, and that we were going to be persistent. So if we start getting to a point where he was tight, I would just recite one of those. “Alright, what’s our purpose here? Or OK, be patient.”

So I’ll usually do that before the round, just something so that he knows it beforehand so when I start saying it, he already knows what I’m trying to do. There’s no quirky things during the round, like I’ll say it before. This is what we want to do, so if we get into a tight situation, let’s remember the three P’s.

What’s your favorite tour stop to caddie at, whether it’s the perks or the clubhouse, or something like that?

My favorite course to caddie at is Pebble Beach. And Torrey is a really close second. They’re both right there. I love water and water views. Both of those places are just heaven on earth as far as I’m concerned. And plus, the coastal feel when you go to eat, or just when you go to hang out. Off the course is as much fun as on the course.

Yeah, it’s a great vibe out there. Last question. Based on working so closely with tour players, what advice would you have for amateur golfers trying to improve their games?

Play within your means. Don’t try to hit the hero shot, just focus more on course management than you do on spectacular shots. If I had the swing to go with the knowledge I had now, I’d be a hell of a player. I just don’t have the swing these guys do. The one thing I learn from these guys is that even though they have the shots, they’ve learned how to manage their way around the golf course when it’s not looking good. They won’t take the hero shot. They’ll make the smart play. So for amateurs, play within yourself and don’t make the hero play, just manage the course and you’ll probably save a lot of strokes over the course of a round.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Wells Fargo Championship betting preview: Tommy Fleetwood ready to finally land maiden PGA Tour title

Published

5 hours ago

May 6, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

The PGA Tour season ramps back up this week for another “signature event,” as golf fans look forward to the year’s second major championship next week.

After two weaker-field events in the Zurich Classic and the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, most of the best players in the world will head to historic Quail Hollow for one of the best non-major tournaments of the year.

Last season, Wyndham Clark won the event by four shots.

Quail Hollow is a par-71 measuring 7,521 yards that features Bermudagrass greens. The tree-lined, parkland style course can play quite difficult and features one of the most difficult three-hole stretches in golf known as “The Green Mile,” which makes up holes 16-18: two mammoth par 4s and a 221-yard par 3. All three holes have an average score over par, and water is in play in each of the last five holes on the course.

The field is excellent this week with 68 golfers teeing it up without a cut. All of the golfers who’ve qualified are set to tee it up, with the exception of Scottie Scheffler, who is expecting the birth of his first child.

Past Winners at Quail Hollow

2023: Wyndham Clark (-19)
2022: Max Homa (-8)
2021: Rory McIlroy (-10)
2019: Max Homa (-15)
2018: Jason Day (-12)
2017: Justin Thomas (-8) (PGA Championship)
2016: James Hahn (-9)
2015: Rory McIlroy (-21)

Key Stats For Quail Hollow

Strokes Gained: Approach

Strokes gained: Approach will be extremely important this week as second shots at Quail Hollow can be very difficult.

Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds

Akshay Bhatia (+1.16)
Tom Hoge (+1.12)
Corey Conners (+1.01)
Shane Lowry (+0.93)
Austin Eckroat (+0.82)

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee

Quail Hollow is a long course on which it is important to play from the fairway. Both distance and accuracy are important, as shorter tee shots will result in approach shots from 200 or more yards. With most of the holes heavily tree lined, errant drives will create some real trouble for the players.

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee Past 24 Rounds:

Ludvig Aberg (+0.73)
Rory McIlroy (+0.69)
Xander Schauffele (+0.62)
Viktor Hovland (+0.58)
Chris Kirk (+0.52)

Proximity: 175-200

The 175-200 range is key at Quail Hollow. Players who can hit their long irons well will rise to the top of the leaderboard.

Proximity: 175-200+ over past 24 rounds:

Cameron Young (28’2″)
Akshay Bhatia (29’6″)
Ludvig Aberg (+30’6″)
Sam Burns (+30’6″)
Collin Morikawa (+30’9″)

SG: Total on Tom Fazio Designs

Players who thrive on Tom Fazio designs get a bump for me at Quail Hollow this week.

SG: Total on Tom Fazio Designs over past 36 rounds:

Patrick Cantlay (+2.10)
Rory McIlroy (+1.95)
Tommy Fleetwood (+1.68)
Austin Eckroat (+1.60)
Will Zalatoris (+1.57)

Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermudagrass)

Strokes Gained: Putting has historically graded out as the most important statistic at Quail Hollow. While it isn’t always predictable, I do want to have it in the model to bump up golfers who prefer to putt on Bermudagrass.

Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermudagrass) Over Past 24 Rounds:

Taylor Moore (+0.82)
Nick Dunlap (+.76)
Wyndham Clark (+.69)
Emiliano Grillo (+.64)
Cam Davis (+.61)

Course History

This stat will incorporate players that have played well in the past at Quail Hollow.

Course History over past 36 rounds (per round):

Rory McIlroy (+2.50)
Justin Thomas (+1.96)
Jason Day (+1.92)
Rickie Fowler (+1.83)
Viktor Hovland (+1.78)

Wells Fargo Championship Model Rankings

Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (27%), SG: Off the Tee (23%), SG: Total on Fazio designs (12%), Proximity: 175-200 (12%), SG: Putting Bermuda grass (12%), and Course History (14%).

Wyndham Clark
Rory McIlroy
Xander Schauffele
Shane Lowry
Hideki Matsuyama
Viktor Hovland
Cameron Young
Austin Eckroat
Byeong Hun An
Justin Thomas

2024 Wells Fargo Championship Picks

Tommy Fleetwood +2500 (DraftKings)

I know many out there have Tommy fatigue when it comes to betting, which is completely understandable given his lack of ability to win on the PGA Tour thus far in his career. However, history has shown us that players with Fleetwood’s talent eventually break though, and I believe for Tommy, it’s just a matter of time.

Fleetwood has been excellent on Tom Fazio designs. Over his past 36 rounds, he ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Total on Fazio tracks. He’s also been incredibly reliable off the tee this season. He’s gained strokes in the category in eight of his past nine starts, including at The Masters, the PLAYERS and the three “signature events” of the season. Tommy is a golfer built for tougher courses and can grind it out in difficult conditions.

Last year, Fleetwood was the first-round leader at this event, firing a Thursday 65. He finished the event in a tie for 5th place.

For those worried about Fleetwood’s disappointing start his last time out at Harbour Town, he’s bounced back nicely after plenty of poor outings this season. His T7 at the Valero Texas Open was after a MC and T35 in his prior two starts and his win at the Dubai Invitational came after a T47 at the Sentry.

I expect Tommy to bounce back this week and contend at Quail Hollow.

Justin Thomas +3000 (DraftKings)

It’s been a rough couple of years for Justin Thomas, but I don’t believe things are quite as bad as they seem for JT. He got caught in the bad side of the draw at Augusta for last month’s Masters and has gained strokes on approach in seven of his nine starts in 2024.

Thomas may have found something in his most recent start at the RBC Heritage. He finished T5 at a course that he isn’t the best fit for on paper. He also finally got the putter working and ranked 15th in Strokes Gained: Putting for the week.

The two-time PGA champion captured the first of his two major championships at Quail Hollow back in 2017, and some good vibes from the course may be enough to get JT out of his slump.

Thomas hasn’t won an event in just about two years. However, I still believe that will change soon as he’s been one of the most prolific winners throughout his PGA Tour career. Since 2015, he has 15 PGA Tour wins.

Course history is pretty sticky at Quail Hollow, with players who like the course playing well there on a regular basis. In addition to JT’s PGA Championship win in 2017, he went 4-1 at the 2022 Presidents Cup and finished T14 at the event last year despite being in poor form. Thomas can return as one of the top players on the PGA Tour with a win at a “signature event” this week.

Cameron Young +3500 (DraftKings)

For many golf bettors, it’s been frustrating backing Cam Young this season. His talent is undeniable, and one of the best and most consistent performers on the PGA Tour. He just hasn’t broken through with a victory yet. Quail Hollow has been a great place for elite players to get their first victory. Rory McIlroy, Anthony Kim, Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark all notched their first PGA Tour win at Quail.

Throughout Cam Young’s career, he has thrived at tougher courses with strong fields. This season, he finished T16 at Riviera and T9 at Augusta National, demonstrating his preference of a tough test. His ability to hit the ball long and straight off the tee make him an ideal fit for Quail Hollow, despite playing pretty poorly his first time out in 2023 (T59). Young should be comfortable playing in the region as he played his college golf at Wake Forest, which is about an hour’s drive from Quail Hollow.

The 26-year-old has played well at Tom Fazio designs in the past and ranks 8th in the field in Strokes Gained: Total on those courses in his last 36 rounds. Perhaps most importantly, this season, Young is the best player on the PGA Tour in terms of proximity from 175-200 in the fairway, which is where a plurality and many crucial shots will come from this week.

Young is an elite talent and Quail Hollow has been kind to players of his ilk who’ve yet to win on Tour.

Byeong Hun An +5000 (FanDuel)

Byeong Hun An missed some opportunities last weekend at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. He finished T4 and played some outstanding golf, but a couple of missed short putts prevented him from getting to the winning score of -23. Despite not getting the win, it’s hard to view An’s performance as anything other than an overwhelming success. It was An’s fourth top-ten finish of the season.

Last week, An gained 6.5 strokes ball striking, which was 7th in the field. He also ranked 12th for Strokes Gained: Approach and 13th for Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. The South Korean has been hitting the ball so well from tee to green all season long and he now heads to a golf course that should reward his precision.

An’s driver and long irons are absolute weapons. At Quail Hollow, players will see plenty of approach shots from the 175-200 range as well as some from 200+. In his past 24 rounds, Ben ranks 3rd in the field in proximity from 175-200 and 12th in proximity from 200+. Playing in an event that will not end up being a “birdie” fest should help An, who can separate from the field with his strong tee to green play. The putter may not always cooperate but getting to -15 is much easier than getting to -23 for elite ball strikers who tend to struggle on the greens.

Winning a “signature event” feels like a tall task for An this week with so many elite players in the field. However, he’s finished T16 at the Genesis Invitational, T16 at The Masters and T8 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The 32-year-old’s game has improved drastically this season and I believe he’s ready to get the biggest win of his career.

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19th Hole

DP World Tour pro has score improved after round following bizarre rules situation

Published

9 hours ago

May 6, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

As originally reported by Ryan French of Monday Q Info, a DP World Tour player was impacted over the weekend by a peculiar rules situation.

Ivan Cantero was playing the Volvo China Open when he hit an errant tee shot on the 13th hole. Cantero was unsure if the ball was in play or not, as it went towards a jungle area, so he played a provisional.

French confirmed with a rules official that the provisional was legal due to the fact that the player didn’t know whether the ball was in play or not.

Cantero’s original ball was found in the penalty area, which should have rendered his provisional irrelevant.

A rules official then told Cantero he could no longer play his original ball because he hit a provisional.

French shares that Cantero asked for a second opinion and was given the same (incorrect) answer. He went on to play his provisional and made a long par putt on the par 5.

After the round, the rules officials realized their mistake and decided to take a stroke away from the player, changing the par to a birdie.

The report cites rule 20.2 in the Rules of Golf.

“If a ruling by a referee or the Committee is later found wrong, the ruling can be corrected if possible under the Rules. If it is too late to do so, the ruling stands.”

The score change resulted in Cantero making the cut on the number and he then rallied on Saturday to finish in 23rd place after a weather-shortened event.

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19th Hole

‘F*** around and find out’ – Phil Mickelson fires warning shot over LIV’s access to majors in since-deleted tweet

Published

14 hours ago

May 6, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

On Sunday, the social media account “Flushing It” made a post about the importance of LIV Golf ensuring that their players have major championship eligibility going forward.

Never has there been a more obvious example of the immediate issue LIV faces than today. The Volvo China Open was played for a $2.25 million purse and several players qualified for the PGA Championship at Valhalla. LIV Golf Singapore played for a purse more than 10 times that…

— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) May 5, 2024

“LIV can have the grandest of plans for their future but getting players access to major championships should be their number 1 priority. Especially with the major exemptions running out fast and nearly all player contracts up for renewal this year and next.”

Phil Mickelson then responded to the post, warning the golf world that excluding LIV players from majors will have unintended consequences, saying “FAAFO” which means “f*** around and find out”.

“Maybe some LIV players won’t be missed. But what if NONE of the LIV players played? Would they be missed? What about next year when more great players join? Or the following year? At some point they will care and will have to answer to sponsors and television. FAAFO”

His post has since been deleted, but there are plenty of screenshots out there.

??????? #FAAFO — LIV Golf star Phil Mickelson has sent a clear message to the powers that be, when it comes to LIV players and their access into majors: “F—k around and find out.”@flushingitgolf | @PhilMickelson pic.twitter.com/kVEL7VR6UN

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) May 5, 2024

It will be easier said than done, but it does appear that some sort of agreement between LIV and the majors could be coming in the future if the PGA Tour and LIV aren’t able to mend fences.