Ty Spinella, the TJGT Director of Operations is currently spending his week caddying for Rodolfo Cazaubon in the Utah Championship, a PGA Tour event. Cazaubon and Spinella were college teammates at the University of North Texas. The following details Spinella’s experience during the practice rounds and pro-am event.
By Ty Spinella
Lehi, Utah — July 21, 2016 – Monday and Tuesday are very similar days. The players exude a laid back feel during their practice rounds. The music playing in the background, headphones covering ears and untucked shirts all attested to the casual environment, however quality work was being put in by each and every player. Equipment manufacturers were present to tune up the players clubs, fulfilling any need their respective player might have. This includes lie changes, shaft changes, loft changes in woods, and in Rodolfo’s case, grip changes.
During the Tuesday practice rounds, you will see groups ranging from onesomes to foursomes. Some players prefer to practice alone and play fast, whereas others like play small competitive cash games to stay interested in the practice round and enjoy themselves.
On Mondays and Tuesdays, caddies are taking notes about each and every detail. Our goal is to provide as much information as possible to our players in hopes of giving them a competitive edge over their competition. One shot saved could be a cut made, card kept, or a championship won. So caddies are working tirelessly in preparation. To summarize the practice rounds, clubs and swings were tweaked, caddies scoured the course, and players tried to stay loose and relaxed as it is just the start of a long week.
On Wednesday, the final day prior to the event, the mood, and atmosphere started to change. The anticipation of the event began to increase as players become innately more serious. Players are doing everything they can to be prepared for their opening tee shots come Thursday morning. For Rodolfo and me, it was tightening up some swing keys, dialing in on the speed of the greens and starting to build confidence.
As dusk rolled onto Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, my preparation as a caddy was all but complete. It was time to speak confidence and encouragement into Rodolfo. The words that I rallied sounded something like this, “Tomorrow it’s time to tee it up, trust the preparation, let it go and have fun.”
Rodolfo’s first round of the championship begins at 1:33 PM. He is excited for what is to come and ready for the competition. Follow our progress on pgatour.com.