Stevens: Team Sindelar debuts at Dick’s Open
ENDICOTT – From a leader board perspective, Team Sindelar debuted in fair-to-middling fashion. Not stunningly, far from abominable and certainly not buried with 36 holes worth of Dick’s Sporting Goods Open straight ahead.
But do know that for Joey, it’ll be one hell of a memorable round. Seventy-one doesn’t ordinarily merit long-term space in the memory banks of an upper-echelon player, but damned if this one won’t. Has to, right?
Riding shotgun for the first time and on a made-to-order Friday afternoon at En-Joie was son Ryan, the long and lean athletic-looking lad lugging Pop’s satchel, guy who had every right to be a lob wedge-high pile of nerves. After all, this is serious business, a whole lotta coin is on the line — and he was a first-timer!
So, how nervous, Ryan?
“Not at all. Never. Not even for a second,” he replied, and sure seemed to mean it.
Seems that’s just Ryan being Ryan. And heck, it’s golf, is all. And the boss’ name is Dad. Now, want to see Ryan sweat and squirm and get all cotton-mouthed? Drop a math exam on the table before him. Oh, yeah. He does history comfortably — in fact, will head off to London in a couple weeks to pursue his master’s degree in just that. But that math test? “Thank God I stopped taking those five years ago.”
Pop had a ball Friday, never mind the 71. And certainly never mind that toe-stub of a splish-splash double at the come-and-get-me 10th.
Son did, too. As he said, “A ton of fun, very happy I did it, especially because I was supposed to be with my brother and his week got cut short. So I’m definitely glad I’m here.”
See, Ryan has caddied for big brother Jamie, oh, 15 or so times. In fact, Jamie texted Lil’ Bro about the time Team Sindelar’s opening round concluded at En-Joie, informing that he was in the Syracuse area and would be home soon. That was after Jamie, 25 and a professional since 2012, had missed the cut in the PGA Canada Tour’s event in Ontario.
The most significant tournament for which Ryan toted Jamie’s bag was the Web.Com Tour’s Nova Scotia Open, this summer as well as last. But Friday brought Ryan’s debut on the varsity, before decent-sized galleries and with a $285,000 cut of the cake the ultimate goal.
Nevertheless, he appeared the coolest kid on the block.
“Ryan is very loose,” Pop said. “He’s not a state-level or tour-level golfer but he can play. He understands the game and he can hit it far, but he’s very loose in demeanor and he’s a very fun person to be around. A dose of that is always good.”
Leading to their debut as player-caddie, Dad impressed upon son the need to be mindful of the other two guys in the group, in this case Tommy Armour III and Mike Goodes. After all, a misstep here or heel in a line there — any type of distraction — doesn’t sit well, even if it’s committed by the son/caddie of one of the most popular players on the Champions Tour.
Turns out that Ryan was just fine. Or, as Joey rightfully said, “Ryan, he knew those things and he was never in the way and did a great job.”
Ryan is a life-long sports guy, played basketball but more notable baseball at Horseheads High, in fact batted clean-up as a senior. Has played a bunch of golf, and these days from those new-ish black tees back home at Soaring Eagles, with any kind of wind he’ll happily take anything sliding under 85.
“They tell me I play as an 8- or 10-handicap. If I’m playing against my brother, I may play as a 12 or 13, take a couple bucks off him here or there,” he said.
So he knows what’s up. And even if he fouls up this weekend? Well, Dad will point him down the proper path.
Instructions from the 57-year-old playing a golf course on which he claimed two PGA Tour titles and for the umpteenth time?
“Shut up and keep up. Those are the two rules for caddies,” Ryan said. “He said shut up and keep up, answer my questions, keep ‘em clean. Easy enough.”
One true test came at the 14th, where Joey and Armour tugged tee balls into the same green-side bunker. There appeared a tiny bit of hesitation, as in, which player’s caddie would be at the controls of the rake. And one thing a caddie had better be all over is meticulously manicuring a bunker.
Ryan drew the task, and tended fastidiously to the sand as instructed— with the ol’ man sneaking a peek or two.
“He was checking me out, making sure I was up to snuff and doing everything OK,” Ryan said.
In truth, Ryan knows Jamie’s game a whole lot better than he knows Joey’s, through sheer repetition. The brothers have played countless rounds together, and so Ryan is in tune with Big Bro’s every on-course tendency and desire. But there are the little adjustments, like how Jamie chooses to carry the putter to a green and Joey does not. Just stuff to get used to on the fly.
“Definitely nothing serious, but more cadence, creature-comfort kind of things,” Ryan said. “It’s interesting. It’s a whole different way to know Dad than I’ve known him before.”
And how cool is that?
As for what the first-timer learned from Friday that he’ll apply to Saturday? Sure hopes he’ll give Pop some better advice on the greens. After all, those polarized sunglasses do give caddie a better look at the grain.
Oh, the key question: What will be the son’s cut of the father’s Dick’s Sporting Goods Open earnings?
“My cut is, I don’t go bankrupt over the next year and I have a place to sleep,” Ryan said. “And a couple chicken spiedies. Maybe a Little Venice dinner, who knows? Cheese raviolis, the meatballs, green peppers, salad and hopefully a cold beer.”
Stevens can be reached by email at kstevens@pressconnects.com and on Twitter @PSBKevin.