 Bruce Clendenen is a caddy on the PGA Tour for the last three years after
being a golf manufacturers tour rep. Bruce was on Matt Gogels golf
bag for this win. Two years ago at this same tournament, Matt was a tour rookie
and had a difficult time holding the lead against a Tiger Woods
charge which included Tigers' hole out of his second shot for eagle on the 15th
hole there on Sunday to beat Matt Gogel. This year, the tables
were reversed with Matt beating rookie Pat Perez there on Sunday!
CaddyBytes.com
- How did you become a Professional Tour Caddy?
Bruce
-I was am Aldila Tour rep for about 4 -5
years. I worked at Titleist for one year came out in 1999 to work
for Brett Quigley, had played high school golf with him. Then that
year on an off week, picked up Brad Faxon at the B.C. Open. We
won the tournament, caddying for the first 6 months, the next year.
Then 'mixed it up' with P.H. Horgan, D.A., hooked up with Matt Gogel, the
last eight weeks of 2000, and been caddying for him since. It's been
fun.
CaddyBytes.com -How
good a player were you?
Bruce
-I got down to a two handicap. But not
good enough to get to the next level though.
CaddyBytes.com
-Did you see this win coming down the road anytime?
Bruce -I knew he could win. He'd won 6
times on the Nike Tour, I just kept reminding him of that. He loves
Pebble Beach -he's knocked on the door there twice before. (In the
2000 AT and T, Tiger Woods put on a spectacular display the last
day. Simultaneously, Matt was over par there on the back nine, but
still might have won the tournament anyway given different circumstance.)
CaddyBytes.com
Just to recap. What was going on there on the back nine?
Bruce -It was kind of up and down. We
walked off the 15 tee to the 15th green we had a two shot lead with three
to go. Perez had just doubled 14, but then he birdied 15 behind us,
so then we were only up by one shot. So we were basically one up
with three to go. Then we were one down with one to go, playing the
eighteenth hole. On 16 both players made par, on 17 were above the
hole and three putted, and Perez birdied the hole. So now we're one
down. We play our third shot into the par 5 18th green and
we asked Peter Kostis, about where Perez's drive was off the
tee on 18. Peter tells us that Perez hit in the hedge right of
fairway, (out of bounds). Which means he was playing three off the
tee. So we know this going up to the green, and Matt looks at the
putt, and says to me, "I've made this one before" it was
about 27 or 28 feet and made that -we figure if we make this then Perez
has to make eagle on his second ball to tie!
CaddyBytes.com
-Any one thing stand out about your job
during this win?
Bruce -Mostly reminded him of patience all week,
it's an endurance test.
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