Ernie Els Switching Caddies for the Masters…..Say What!?

Watching golf so far this season has been fun. I mean really fun. You might not feel that way unless you’re a huge Ernie Els fan. I am. That’s why it’s been great to see Els have a great start to the year by winning the last two tournaments, the WGC-CA Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. Several guys have stepped up and played well in Tiger’s absence, but Ernie has topped them all so far. Which leads me to wonder, is his switching caddies at the Masters that big a deal?

So, if you haven’t heard the story, here’s how it goes. Ernie has basically been using two caddies, Dan Quinn and Ricci Roberts, and the plan is for them to go half and half in terms of how many tournaments they will be on the bag this year. The plan was already set for Quinn to be on the bag at Augusta, despite the fact that Roberts has been Els’ caddy for the past two victories. And that’s exactly what Ernie plans on doing. Sticking to the plan and keeping his word to his caddy.

I’ll say this. Ernie is loyal. There’s no doubting that at this point. I mean, if you were a professional golfer, and had just seen your career start to re-emerge into greatness once again, would you ever for a second think of switching caddies, even if that was the plan that was in place? I consider myself a loyal guy, but my superstitious nature would take over, and you can bet that I’d have Roberts on that bag come next week.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

But again, let’s look at who we’re talking about here. Ernie freakin’ Els. He’s a guy that stands for all the things that a golfer should stand for. The man is an absolute class act…..and I’ve never even met him before. You can just tell by watching the way this guy carries himself on the golf course that he’s every bit as good off the course as well. It’s hard not to like Ernie and to root for him every single time he tees off. So, even with two straight wins, and a lot of momentum, this isn’t a shocking move at all to see him stick to his word, despite the fact that it may tinker with his recent success a little bit.

This is the Masters. He’s played here plenty of times before, and caddy enthusiasts can say what they want, but it’s all about the guy swinging the club in situations like these. As he said in that AP story, he knows this course. He knows all the little nuances of every single hole. It’s just a matter of having the swing match what he knows, and that’s the way it always is with golfers. You can known a course inside and out, but if your swing isn’t on that day, it simply isn’t going to matter.

You would have to consider Els one of the favorites heading into next week, and I’d put him ahead of Tiger at this point. There’s not a better time and situation for Els to swoop in and pick up a major championship. It is set up perfectly for him, as I don’t expect Tiger to be all that sharp in week one of his return.

If Els plays well, nothing will be made of this whole caddy thing. And if Els doesn’t play well at all, nothing should be made of this whole caddy thing.

So Ernie, switch away my friend. And I’ll be rooting for you come next week.