Missing links upset Armour

CADDIE'S ROLE/Colin Byrne's Column: "You only see the true nature of a man when you put him in a position of power." I don't know if this is a direct quote from Abe Lincoln but this is Pom's version. Pom was Tommy Armour's caddie in the first round of the FBR Capital Open last week in Potomac, Maryland.

I was there caddying for Paul Lawrie as a warm-up for this week's US Open in Chicago and we were paired with the very incompatible duo.

The Pom/Armour relationship didn't make it past the first round. Too many insurmountable differences apparently. It wasn't happening out there.

Pom was summoned to the Marriott Suites on Thursday afternoon, after a miserable first round, to plead his case to the veteran grandson of the legendary Tommy Armour.

Pom had heard the grinding of the axe as the first round progressed. I got a serious hint that all was not well as I watched Pom heading for the ropes off each tee and finally rejoining his man as he approached his ball. I have seen many caddie/player relationships under strain but it is the first time I have seen a caddie go to those lengths to avoid close proximity to his player.

Tommy is an old-style pro, he has some idiosyncrasies that your modern pro would find peculiar. For example, Pom was forbidden from leaving the bag down unless Tommy was in a bunker, or if he was needed for any other unusual circumstances.

It is usually the first question that interested observers ask when they want to know about our strange profession. How come you don't use one of those trolley things? We try, hopelessly, to explain the flexibility of having the bag on your back. But poor Pom, he couldn't put the bag down at all, working for Armour.

In room 1221, Pom was put before the court of Armour and asked why he thought he should be kept on as Tommy's caddie. He reeled off a list of obvious qualities like reliability, punctuality, conscientiousness and a few more attributes that he had remembered from self-improvement books.

The judge was lying on his bed, in his underwear, rolling a cigarette around his mouth as he listened to the defence. This was where Pom thought of Abe Lincoln and decided that this man was wielding some power over him and he definitely wasn't enjoying his true nature. Apparently the final straw for the dissatisfied player was that his caddie kept losing his name tag from his caddie bib. He was also generally clumsy, continually dropping things. His boss was just dropping shots.

The caddie world is rife with dismissals these days. There have been some dramatic changes in the last few weeks involving some top players. Colin Mongomerie's new porter has not had the desired effect the Monty team wished for, with zero cuts made in the first two outings.

When we asked Armour III about his ex-caddie, he explained in his slow, philosophical and casual manner, "You know, I said to him, 'I've been out here too long man, I'm 43 years of age, I just don't have the time for training you guys in anymore."

I could see Tommy's point.

Pom could not. He was a bitter young man at the caddie party on Friday night at Avenel, Maryland.

He had got his ex-man through the US Open qualifier during the week and was looking forward to his first major. Now he was back in the car-park looking for work.

I suppose it is a difficult profession to break into. Although no qualifications are required, there are other complications. Caddies are getting sacked at both ends of the Order of Merit. Who knows why. The best thing Pom could do is remember Abe Lincoln's quote, which is so appropriate in the golf environment, and also that it is a players' market.

Meanwhile, just keep on trying to figure out what they want and get some glue on that name tag.