The contribution made by a good caddie should not be underestimated.
But a caddie's work should also not be overestimated, especially by themselves.
Sure, they can pick a line for a tricky putt, work out the yardage and be able to say the right thing to their man when it gets down to the last holes of a tournament.
But none of them play a shot. A caddie has never stood over a ball on the 18th fairway of a major championship trying to defend a one-stroke lead. He is usually about 15 feet away, watching.
Just like the rest of us.
The caddie's role has been in the news in the wake of Tiger Woods sacking Steve Williams. The long-time bagman now works for Adam Scott, and he claimed Scott's win at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational was "the best of his career" and added, "I am a great front-runner and I think I showed that today."
The New Zealander went on to remind us that it was "his" 145th win. Uh, no it was not. Check the record books. Williams has never won a golf tournament.
It was a toe-curling statement and clearly designed to rankle with Woods, but it also must have annoyed Scott who, after all, was the one who played so brilliantly to beat the best players in the world. Williams always blanked the media when he was with Woods. Maybe he should go back to that policy.
