Favorite Sports Book: Book Review of Caddy for Life by John Feinstein

You don't have to be a golf aficionado - or even a golfer - to appreciate the story of Tom Watson and his caddy, Bruce Edwards. The two were closer than brothers up until Edwards' untimely death at the age of 49 due to ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Even after that, Tom Watson said, "You lost a man in body, but not in spirit."

As Watson was in the early stages of what would become a highly successful golf career, Edwards was just a teenager trying to figure out how not to go to college. A golfer himself, Edwards loved the sport and started caddying soon after his family joined the Wethersfield Country Club in the 1960's. He caddied in part for the money, but also because he loved doing it.

Watson graduated from Stanford in 1971 but decided to give the PGA Tour a try. His father's insurance business would be there waiting for him if it didn't go well. He turned out to be a respectable golfer his first year - and a six-time PGA Player of the Year throughout his career. It was 1973 when Edwards approached Watson about "picking up a game". In those days, caddies were often hired at the clubhouse before a tournament if the golfer hadn't already hired a regular. To Watson, Edwards looked like the typical caddy - a long-haired kid in jeans. But he was polite so when approached by Edwards, Watson said, "Okay, we'll try it for a week and see what happens." With Edwards caddying for him that first time, Watson did very well. He paid Edwards the normal 3 percent of the purse for placing in the top ten plus $15 a day for each day he'd worked, then handed him the keys to his Buick saying, "I'll see you in Montreal Tuesday morning at 9:00 a.m." So began their professional careers and what would become a great friendship.

Feinstein offers plenty of details about the sport of golf - both then and now. He recounts tours and championships with exacting details. He shares a multitude of anecdotes that you'll miss if you get bogged down in all the statistics, bogeys and putts, woods and drivers. But don't, because understanding the evolution of these two men as professionals and friends depends on knowing the stories behindthe story. For instance, it was years until Edwards' family actually took his caddying seriously. They always expected him to go to college and there was a time when Watson was on board with that plan. There are caddy friendships and adventures, both on and off the links.Then there's the story of how Edwards met the love of his life, married someone else, then found love again.

There were times in Watson's career that were tougher than others and at one point, he encouraged Edwards to caddy for Greg Norman. Feinstein has enough to say about that in Caddy for Life - most of it good. Watson's career, in and of itself, is an interesting journey - his hopes and trials, successes and failures. He was friends with Lee Trevino, actually beat Jack Nicklaus (a good friend of his today), and has played golf all over the world. He's won five Open Championships, two Masters, and one U.S. Open. In 2009, he made an exciting comeback almost beating Stewart Cink at the Open Championship in Scotland.

In October of 2002, it was clear that there was something seriously wrong with Edwards. He was slurring his speech more and more frequently and, unable to make a fist, noticed a deep cleft between his thumb and index finger when trying to pick up a golf ball. Watson worried that his caddy had had a stroke; Edwards thought he might be getting arthritis. Although Watson encouraged Edwards to see a doctor, the caddy did not have insurance. In the meantime, Watson had spoken to his friend Dr. Ian Hay at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota about Edwards' symptoms. "Get him up here now," Hay said. When the truth came out about Edwards not having insurance, Watson told his caddy to check in to the Mayo Clinic and send him the bills.

Edwards was given a grim diagnosis; there is no cure for ALS. But the caddy was an optimist, and grateful for what he'd considered the perfect job, the best friend, and a loving wife and family. "If you judge a man's life by the friends he has, then I've certainly had a great life," he told his wife.

Author and sportswriter John Feinstein tells a great story in Caddy for Life and readers (especially golfers) will enjoy the cameo appearances by golf greats such as Sam Snead, Arnie Palmer, Chi Chi Rodriguez and Tiger Woods. The "duel" between Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson makes a good story, too, and the way Feinstein tells it, one might think he was a professional golfer himself. A contributor to the Washington Post and essayist for CBS Sports, Feinstein has written over 15 books including "Are You Kidding Me? The Story of Rocco Mediate's Extraordinary Battle with Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open" and "Change-up: Mystery at the World Series" a young adult mystery novel.

Caddy for Life by John Feinstein
Copyright: Little Brown (2004)
Back Bay Books
Paperback ISBN:0316010863
336 pages

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