Cherry Hills Village – During her Tuesday practice round, Amie Cochran faced a tricky chip shot to the porcelain-slick No. 5 green at Cherry Hills Country Club.
The 19-year-old amateur from UCLA considered her options, then asked her caddie what to do.
It wasn’t just any caddie. It was 1974 Lakewood High School graduate Rick Evans, one of seven Cherry Hills “master” caddies toting bags and dispensing local knowledge at this week’s U.S. Women’s Open.
“We got up to the green and he told me to play it to the back-right edge of the green and let it trickle down,” Cochran said. “He said it would take away some of the speed. He said, ‘It will be perfect.”‘
A skeptical Cochran – who had planned to land her shot about 4 feet from Evan’s target – took her caddie’s advice, hit the shot and watched the ball sidle up inches from the hole.
And what if Cochran had decided not to pay attention to Evans?
“The ball would have rolled off the green into the bunker,” she said. “Having him with me is going to really help me here.”
Most of the pros on the LPGA Tour hire professional caddies who travel the country with them. Of the 156 golfers at this week’s major, about 80 percent arrived with a caddie. Those caddies can make as much as $800 a week, plus 10 to 15 percent of their golfer’s prize money.
But most of the amateurs, and a few of the lesser-known golfers, arrived at Cherry Hills without anyone to carry their bags, walk off yardage, clean clubs and offer advice on how to play the toughest setup in women’s golf this year.
That’s where caddies such as Evans come in. There are 125 caddies who regularly work at Cherry Hills and about 30 so-called master caddies – the best and most experienced. From that group of 30, seven were selected for this year’s U.S. Women’s Open. They will make $50 a day, plus a gratuity.
“Basically, it comes down to who shows an interest in wanting to work this event, and then we rank them from their ability and experience,” Cherry Hills assistant pro Bryan Heim said. “Then we pair them up with the players and try for a good match.”
There was never any question Evans wanted to shoulder a bag this week.
“Nothing I’ve ever done in golf matches this,” he said. “This is the biggie. This is special. To be in your hometown, and for this club to host a major is such a big deal.
“This is my Super Bowl.”
Considering Evans’ golf history, that’s saying something. He played golf at Arizona State, turned pro in 1989 and became a head professional and golf course manager in Arizona. From 1987-94, he was the off-and-on caddie for Kenny Perry on the PGA Tour.
But when his father died in 2001, he returned home to Colorado to care for his mother. That’s when he began working at Cherry Hills. This week, he and Cochran have bonded to become a team.
“We clicked really well and I am learning so much from him,” said Cochran, who placed third at this year’s NCAA championship. “He has so much knowledge. He knows the yardage of trees that are out in the boonies.”
Not all of the amateurs seek out local caddies. Some, such as Nicole Hage, call their relatives for help – in this case, her father, Joe.
Others, such as Morgan Pressel, an up-and-coming 17-year-old from Boca Raton, Fla., are already hooking up with tour caddies. Pressel has used longtime LPGA caddie Jennifer “Sam” Hinshaw in six previous rounds, and Hinshaw will caddie for Pressel again this week. Hinshaw hopes she is part of Pressel’s long-term golf future. A strong finish at this week’s Open could solidify that relationship.
“That’s the plan,” Hinshaw said. “I hope that works out.”
This week Hinshaw’s primary job is to be a troubleshooter.
“The caddie must look at this golf course and ask, ‘Where’s trouble?”‘ she said. “You look at your yardage book and write down, ‘No! Don’t go there.’ At the 11th hole, the green slopes dramatically. I make sure and tell her to get below the hole.”
Even though Pressel is just 17, she remains the boss on the course.
“It has to be that way,” she said. “I’ll ask for advice and yardage, but I have to make my own decisions.”
Evans agrees, even though he knows Cherry Hills a lot better than Cochran does.
“A lot of caddies want to be the show and have things revolve around them,” he said. “But this week, Amie is the deal. She’s my boss and she’s my employer.”
That statement made Cochran laugh. “But I’m sure going to listen to him this week,” she said.
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
