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2002 |
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| 2009 Update: The following is our interview we did with Jimmy in 2002. Nick recently won on the Champions Tour in 2009 and lost in a playoff the very same weekend that his former caddy Jimmy 'won' with Steve Stricker. Jimmy's had some good bags since then winning with Charles Howell in Los Angeles since his win with Nick and now this great win with Steve Stricker ... here's that interview we did with Jimmy from 2002 at Colonial ... | ||
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Jimmy
Johnson has been caddying on tour since the end of 1996 full
time. Jimmy was a playing golf professional having turned pro
after graduating from college at North Texas State. He played the
South African Golf Tour for 16 years, ands also won several mini-tours as
well. His last year playing was 1996 before coming out to work for
Nick Price. (Jimmy had been to the finals of PGA Tour school three
times -just missing his tour card once.) He came out to work for
Nick when Squeeky got sick, (Jim and Nick Price have been friends since
1979). "We thought it was just temporary until Squeeky
got well, but then Squeeky died from Leukemia, and I stayed on caddying
for Nick." Jim had first caddied on tour for Mark McNulty
briefly for a stretch of tournaments on tour during the 1995
season. He also worked for Carlos Franco for 8 months in 2000,
when Carlos won the New Orleans Compac Classic, then worked four months
for Cameron Beckman, early 2001, then back caddying full time for Nick
Price. Nick won twice in the first three years, with Jimmy on the
bag, capped in 1997 with Nick winning the Vardon Trophy. This win at
Colonial is a fitting tribute from one of the greatest ball strikers in
this modern era, Nick Price, to one of the greatest ball striking legends
of the past -the honorable late Ben Hogan in the latter's own back yard
-the famed Colonial Country Club in Ft. Worth Texas, site of this great
win!
Jimmy
-We
had it at five at one time. When we made the turn it was down to
just two shots. Then we birdied 11, then birdied twelve, then
chipped it in at 14 for birdie to take a five shot lead with just four
holes to play. Then Nick was kind of on cruise, just parred in no
problem.
CaddyBytes.com -That
had to be a pretty satisfying win? Jimmy
-Especially
for Nick, it had been so long since he'd won, with the lead he was able to
really savor it.
CaddyBytes.com -What
do you think are your strengths as a caddy? Especially having been a
former tour player. Jimmy
-I
think that I understand the emotions that a player is going through having
been a player my self competitively, if it's windy, or he's coming down
the stretch. I think that it's easier probably for me to relate to
how he's apt to be feeling. And having been there I think that I
understand how important it is for me to be calm, be positive, and stick
with our routine.
CaddyBytes.com -Rotella
and all those sports psychologists always talk about the players 'level of
excitement', and things like that. We know as caddies how sometimes
guys tend to get quick, and sometimes will hurry a shot of particular
play, more when they're in contention. Is that what you're talking
about? Jimmy
-Sometimes when players are in contention
they're thinking about so many different things, they may not be as clear
as they normally are. Whether it be the wind or the club selection
and I think it's a little easier, (to see that), on the other side
of the bag -to see it a little clearer than when you're the player
sometimes. I know I couldn't always see it as clearly when I
played in those situations than I do as the caddy. Jimmy
-Usually, he'll ask me about my input, he ask
me why, and listen, ultimately it's his decision. My goal is
to make his decision easier for him, hopefully. He pays me to tell
him what I think. The nice thing about Nick he's not set on the full
shot necessarily, but he's confident enough in his game that he tries to
play the correct shot. He plays really smart. A lot of flags
he doesn't go for on Sundays. He picks and chooses the ones he wants
to. Not necessarily conservative, but smart! I think our job
as caddies is to keep our players as positive and focused as we can.
Stick with the routine. Jimmy
-No.
I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted in a caddy when I had someone
working for me. And I put that together with what Nick Price
wants. It's really all about Nick and what he wants in a
caddy. If I need to change my way of caddying to suit my player then
I will!
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