I’m definitely cutting off my ponytail. I’m quitting. Once and no more, Doubting Thomas. It’s been a very beautiful experience, you never want to miss an Open and much less experiencing it from inside the ropes with Luis, but I’ve had enough. Everything hurts.
Speaking more seriously, I think the Open has been a success. It’s true that you always want a little more and that we leave with a bit of a feeling of having been left with honey on our lips, but it has been a very good experience for him and for me.
For example, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve realised this week that I’ve somehow underestimated the tough task of the caddies. I take it as a lesson in humility, no doubt. This job is very tough, when to talk, when not to, when you’re doing too much, when too little, if I interfere too much… Being a caddy is definitely an art. I imagine that like everything it will be learned over time and after all it has been the first time I’ve done it in a serious way. But in my case the learning is over because there won’t be any more.
I’ve already told Luis that I don’t do this for just anyone. Everything hurts. I retire from caddie at the 18th of Troon, at the top. It has to be a very special occasion to come back. Maybe if a Cleek asks me at the LIV… If, for example, Kalle Samooja asks me at the Greenbrier then maybe I’ll think about it. More seriously, I would never say no to friends, players like Olazábal, Quirós or Francesco Molinari.
As for Luis, let’s see what I can tell you about this week. Technically there are things to polish, there are areas of the game that he has realised he is not up to the level of other players, where he is a bit naked. On the other hand, I think he has infinite potential and I hope it also helps him to open his eyes and realise what a great player he is.
What strikes me most is the quality of his ball, the power, and not just me, you see it with the people we’ve played with. Ancer or Zach Johnson looked at me and said but what is this. Luckily, during my career I’ve played with all the galacticos and this one is not far behind. He’s there with guys who have impressed me hitting the ball. He reminds me a bit of Sergio García in his youth. You see that it’s a different ball, how he compresses it, how it flies, it sounds different and flies differently. You see it and say: I don’t have that. He has that quality, although then there are many more things to do, there are more areas in golf. He starts from a very good base, in which luckily I have had nothing to do…
