Sergio Garcia waves after making birdie on the 15th hole during the third round of the Wyndham Championship at …
It's good to be David Faircloth. The North Carolina native, who started out the week caddying in the pro-am for one of the Wyndham Championship's tournament organisers, received the offer of a lifetime right before the start of the first round, when he was asked if he wanted to make a little extra coin and loop for one of the players in the field.
Nice gig, right? For a guy who's used to making $50 to $75 per bag at local clubs, Faircloth stood to make at least a couple hundred bucks even his guy made the cut and didn't finish in the top-10.
But as the local looper later found out, he wasn't caddying for just any player: he was going to carry the bag for Sergio Garcia, one of the biggest names in the field at Sedgefield Country Club.
Garcia came into the week without a caddie on his bag, after parting ways with Gary Matthews following the US PGA Championship. Looking for someone with local course knowledge, Garcia decided to give Faircloth a try for the week.
The move turned out to be a blessing in disguise for both player and caddie, as Garcia went on to win his first US PGA Tour event in four years, and Faircloth walked away with the flag on the 18th green - the winning caddie usually takes the flag as a tournament keepsake - and a once-in-a-lifetime story he'll be able to tell his grandkids one day.
Oh, and another thing: a five-figure payday. Garcia earned $960,000 for his win, and considering caddies usually receive 10 per cent of the paycheque for a win, the substitute loop could stand to make $96,000 for four days of work.
There's a good chance Faircloth couldn't make anywhere close to that much on the local circuit. Ever. While Garcia wouldn't divulge how much he'd get for the win, he did say, "he's not going to get what a normal caddy would get because his job was fairly easy."
The way Garcia was playing this week, there's no question Faircloth's job was easy. But come on, Sergio, at least give the guy a nice cut of that nearly seven-figure payout. After all, he earned it just like any other caddie.
Also, for those wondering if this is the start of a beautiful player-caddie partnership, don't hold your breath. Garcia has someone else on the bag next week at The Barclays.
Even though Faircloth's job won't turn into a regular gig, he has a nice payday and a week's worth of memories that will last a lifetime. You can't ask for more than that.
Jonathan Wall, Yahoo! Sports