Michigan Golf Journal August 2021

Alex Sheehy got the chance to do what many golf lovers want to do – get inside the ropes at a PGA Tour event – and even one better, be a caddy for a Touring pro. Yet Sheehy also learned he will gladly keep his day job. He has been an assistant pro at the Detroit Golf Club the past 16 months, and part of his indoctrination was the unanticipated role of stepping in as a caddy at the past two Rocket Mortgage Classic tournaments. In 2020, Sheehy said Luke Donald’s caddy tested positive for Covid-19, and the Tour pro needed a last-minute caddy who was already tested and safely inside the PGA Tour’s ‘bubble’ at DGC. That description fit Sheehy, so he got the nod. “Having a little local knowledge never hurts,” Sheehy said with a chuckle. This year, pro Chris Baker knew a couple days in advance that his caddy wouldn’t be available in Detroit, and a PGA Tour official suggested Sheehy could do it – so he got the job again. “I enjoyed stepping into that role and I knew it the Monday of tournament week, so we got in a couple practice rounds, then we made the cut, which is awesome,” Sheehy said about the July experience. “There were a bunch of members yelling out our names as we went around the course. It was a great experience, something I’ll remember forever.” Sheehy said both pro players basically made their own decisions, but they would ask for confirmation of reads on the green and such. “Obviously, there is a reason they’re on the Local Assistant Pro Fills in as Caddy at the Rocket Mortgage, Twice By Tom Lang Continues on next page >> Caddy for a Week