Tommy

Meet Tommy. He was Tiger Woods’ caddie at the ’95 Masters. I was randomly paired up with him Friday at the Augusta Municipal. 

He shared his life story, which goes much deeper than one weekend in April…

On a frigid Friday morning, I showed up to Augusta Municipal. Locals call it The Patch after a cabbage patch the original GM’s wife used to grow on property.

It borders the local airport, and planes whiz just overhead all day—often private jets carrying Augusta National members.

I arrived at the same time as the Friday skins game, made up of all African-American guys who grew up in Augusta’s low-income Sand Hill neighborhood.

They let me join, and that’s where I met Tommy. He told me to throw my bag on his cart, giving me the chance to hear his story.

Tommy never knew his dad, and his mom moved to New York to be a housekeeper, leaving a young Tommy to fend for him and his sister.

Needing lunch money for school, he caddied at Augusta Country Club, earning $3 a day. He worked weekends and occasionally cut school to caddie.

He was promoted to Augusta National in ’64 where they paid $7/loop. When they closed each summer, Tommy worked various jobs to make it by: limo driver, waiter—even shagging balls for local-legend Jim Dent, who was also in our group.

But let’s get to the Masters.

Tommy’s Masters debut was in ’65, caddying for the low amateur champ A. Downing Gray. His closest call at a win was with Jodie Mudd, who finished second.

In ’95, he didn’t want to loop for Tiger. “I wanted a chance to win.” But Tiger’s team wanted someone with local knowledge.

I asked him what moment stood out from that week.

“On cut day, he drove it into the pine straw on 13, so I gave him a lay up number. He asked for the yardage to the pin, but I told him to lay up. He asked again, so I told him 223, and he grabbed a 4-iron and hit it to 15 feet.”

This was Tommy’s last Masters, so he started and ended his Masters career with the low amateur champ.

Tommy later caddied on Tour for Matt Kuchar, Webb Simpson, Vijay Singh, and others—still occasionally looping now on the Korn Ferry Tour at the age of 74.

When you go to Augusta, stories about the Masters hit you in the face.

And if you’re lucky, you’ll hear them from Tommy and the Sand Hill boys on a Friday at The Patch.