That’s our boy.

Our starting time for the day was 2:40pm which is the second last time of the day. It makes for a long morning of sitting around waiting, stewing, and allows time an anxious mind to spin.

We arrived at the golf course at around 12:30. The weather was clear and hot, for the most part, not a breath of wind.

Once again Terry was looking dashing in his fresh outfit.

We were there in plenty of time which allowed for him to really take his time and have a relaxed, methodical warm up session. Once again, he ripped every shot right at every flag he looked at. We chipped, we putted, and finally it was time.

As we headed to the first tee he said he felt way more nervous today than the first day. He was plenty nervous the first day and still managed to rip it down the middle of the fairway so I knew he would handle it just fine.

Waiting his turn on the first tee.

His drive was a bit left in the rough, but his lie was decent and we were off.

Once again, I’m not going to go through every hole, but we felt the effects of the US Open rough a few times on that front 9.

On the second hole he pulled a drive a bit left again, not far away from the spotter. As we were walking up there was a team of about 5 people looking for his ball. It had landed right in front of them and the fact that they were having trouble locating it didn’t bode well for the type of lie he was going to get. Finally they stopped looking and placed their little locator flag near it.

As we were approaching it I knew we were going to be in for a bit of trouble when I see a spectator crouch down and get a picture of it. You know you have a crap lie when it is photo worthy.

We got to the ball and you could barely see it even while standing right over top of it! It was sitting down at the bottom with wisps of grass laying over the top of it. There was nothing he could do but gouge it out. Not all bogies are created equal and that was a good one.

Around about the 5th hole I could feel Terry start to relax and settle in and sound like himself. We were finally to the point where we were out there playing golf. He was swinging more freely than he had the whole week, and was talking more and the color was back in his face! He hit some good shots and made some great putts, but still not hitting his driver as straight as he can which didn’t allow him to really throw darts with his irons like he can.

Doin’ work!!

We get to the back 9 and I just told him: let’s start ripping drivers and firing at flags, and so he did. He absolutely nailed a drive on that 10th tee and off we went.

He had a fantastic chip in birdie on the 12th and his cheering section went crazy. The volunteer said that was the only birdie they had seen there all day! The next hole, birdie. He was on it now!

He followed a couple bogeys on 15 and 16 with a fantastic birdie on 17 and left one an inch short on 18. He fired a nice 74 for the day which was a good score in relation to the field.

The cut was +6 so we missed that, but from my view, which was the front seat, there was so much to be proud of for Terry.

Walking off 18.

The big smile because it was the last hill to climb!

It’s easy to look at his scores and make a judgement. Anyone who knows Terry knows how good he is. We all know how straight he is off the tee, how accurate his irons are, how well he pitches and chips and how many birdies he’s made in the last few months. Believe me, I’ve also had a front seat to that show and feel it in my wallet every time I’m paying him out. I may nip him for 9 here and there, but he gladly accepts his winnings on a daily basis.

Pressure, however, does funny things to a person. Here is Terry who has overcome so much in his life, decides to enter a qualifier for the US Open, after not playing in a proper tournament in 20 years and wins the thing. That shows a lot about his determination and his resolve.

He comes here and is playing on the worlds stage, the pressure doesn’t get any higher than this.

I was texting with him in the morning just about nothing, what he was doing etc. He told me he was replying to texts etc. He and I decompressed a little bit after round 1, but not fully. I asked him how he was describing his round to people. I wanted to know how he viewed it.

He replied with something like: ‘I played a bad round, no excuses’, moving on to today.’

I agreed with the ‘moving onto today’ part, but the rest of it did NOT sit well with me. I said something like: yes, let’s move on, but we will discuss the rest at a later date.

He asked about what I meant, so I let him have it. I won’t share exactly what I said to him, but it was something along the lines of: to classify the round in such a way is, first of all not true, and doing such a disservice to himself and allows for no room to learn.

I saw his round on day one as a win in so many ways. He was so nervous on the first tee I could see his shirt shaking! In spite of that he managed to absolutely rip his tee shot down the middle. In spite of feeling like an absolute nervous wreck all day he still managed to hit so many good iron shots. He had some blips in his round that, like I said, really could have derailed him, and he went to the next hole and executed brilliantly. Win. In spite of feeling 100% NOT himself, he managed to get it around that golf course in a more than respectable manner.

In that round of 18 holes I saw him overcome so much with his inner demons that were just waiting to take him down. He fought them off, and believe me, it was a battle of epic proportions, and he did it. It was a 79 that first day, but it could have been so much worse. I told him that he better start giving himself the credit that he deserves, because he really deserves a lot.

I am so proud and grateful to be part of this journey with Terry. I know his brothers, Pat, Matt, Tim, Joe and sister in law Jody and his buddy Cal are all so proud of him. They are all so sweet and it was so heartwarming to see their support. Terry is not a man of many words, but I know it meant so much to him for them to be here.

In the losing comes the learning. I’m glad he went through every single thing he went through. All the adversity, and all the triggers are gifts (even if they feel terrible) that help us discover more about ourselves. Terry will get some space from the tournament and be able to look back with less emotion and glean so many good things from this. It’s only going to make him a better golfer and breed more awareness as a person.

I’m proud to call Terry my friend.

Just moments before he ripped his 3 hybrid to 5’.

That’s a wrap folks! I hope you enjoyed this little journey. It was fun sharing it with everyone. I had a blast and would carry his bag anytime except the next course hopefully is not as hilly.

-Caddy out ✌🏼

Competed like heck.

The morning was beautiful and calm, about 75°F and not a breath of wind. It was slightly overcast which was a nice reprieve from the blazing sun over the last several days.

Terry was looking smashing in his new Puma gear. Black pants, grey shirt, black shoes and a nice white hat. Fab.

He had a fantastic warm up. Great pacing. Great composure. He calmly and smoothly ripped every shot he hit. We went over to the pitching area where he was smooth as silk and executed well. He looked ready. He felt ready. He was ready.

On the way over to the 10th tee we met the rest of his cheering section: his brother Pat and his wife Jody, along with Tim and Matt. They were pumped and so proud of their bro. It was so nice to see and super nice to finally meet them.

We showed up to the tee about 12 minutes before our starting time and met his playing partners: Sal Felice II and Buck Brittain, as well as their caddies Gia and Charlie. It was a really nice group to play with.

As we are standing around the first tee waiting for our time, you can feel the tension building. It’s quiet. People don’t really know what to do with themselves. The introductions are over and you simply do whatever it is you need to do keep yourself as calm as possible under the circumstances.

The three gentlemen in the group were about to play in their first ever US Open. The National Open. Breathe.

I remember the first time I qualified for my first ever Canadian Open in Niagara Falls. The days leading up were a thrill. When it came time to head to the first tee I was filled with, what I felt, was the appropriate level of excitement. I felt nervous, but in control. My parents were both there and I couldn’t be more proud to share this moment with them. After all the junior tournaments and traveling all over North America, I finally did it. I was playing in my National Open.

I felt ready to go and it was all well and good until the starter announces: “On the tee now, from Drayton Valley Alberta, Corina Kelepouris.”

It was at that moment when my legs went completely numb. That whole ‘fight, flight or freeze’ thing, well I’m a freezer apparently.

So now I have numb legs, my parents are there, the crowd is lining the tee and I have to hit a drive on the opening par 5. Okay. Yeah.

Somehow I managed to pull it off and make it look reasonable. I managed to par the hole and off I went.

Needless to say I had a bit of insight as to what Terry was about to experience.

Finally it was his turn to play. After a few deep breaths he set up, checked is target, reared back and absolutely ripped it down the middle of the fairway. I was absolutely thrilled for him and so proud of him. With all of his siblings looking on, there is no way we could have been more proud of him.

I’m not going to go through the entire round, but I can tell you this: he battled and competed as well as anyone out there. He played a lot of holes extremely well, and with just a shade of luck, he could have had a couple of putts fall in instead of lip out like they did. On hole 14 and hole 18 he ran into a few rough patches that could have completely derailed him, but he didn’t let it. The very next tee he gathered himself and made two of the best swings he made all day and made a fantastic birdie on 1.

I know that Terry is disappointed in the final score, but for me there were so many positive things to glean from this round. He hit a lot of great iron shots and more than a couple FANTASTIC chip shots. In spite of not really feeling comfortable all day, he battled and stayed in the moment as well as I’ve seen anyone under similar circumstances. His attitude was superb and he was an absolute pleasure to be with all day.

We spent a little bit of time processing the round, but now it’s time to rest up and get ready for round 2 tomorrow. We tee off at 2:40 local time which will give the course a totally different look, but one that we are somewhat familiar with because we played a few practice rounds in the afternoon.

After the round we gathered together at a delicious pizza place and had a nice.

Terry and his crew.

Total step count: 17 200

8.15 miles

Game Day.

It’s been a heck of a week so far, and I believe, the best is yet to come.

Nothing bad can happen when you can start your days off with a game or two of Frogger, right?

I was a little rusty, but that high score will be mine.

We headed off the back 9 this morning just before 8am. When I opened my blinds this morning, I was shocked to see grey and raining. Living in the California desert the last few years, thats not something that happens. Fortunately, it wasn’t too cold and most of the rain had already fallen and it was quite a nice, comfortable playing temperature. A little drizzle here and there, but it was nice.

We saw Freddy Couples in the parking lot on the way in, and to my surprise, he was sitting in the caddie shack when I went to forage for a little breakfast, some water, and snacks for Joe and Cal. He was just sitting there chatting it up. We exchanged hellos and was very friendly.

It turns out we ended up warming up next to him on the range. I didn’t get a photo because I didn’t want to be one of those creepers who tried to sneak one…which is always totally obvious, and I certainly wasn’t going to ask him. I have to act a little cool at times, don’t you think?

Terry had met him a few times being around the Palms so he went over and said hello and they talked about a few common acquaintances. Once again, Freddy was super friendly and congratulated Terry on qualifying. Super nice. Freddy, by the way just chit chatted through his entire warm up and striped balls between stories. Never in much of a hurry to do anything.

We whizzed around the back 9 with 3 other players, one full time player called Ken Davis. They were all super nice, and it was an enjoyable practice round.

After a nice lunch at a really good sports bar, we all went our separate ways for some rest and a nap or possibly a full on sleep for a few hours before we headed back to the course for a little more practice.

Brother watching brother stripe it.

I said I wasn’t going to be a creeper and take an unapproved photo, but in this case I couldn’t help but get a shot of Mrs. Doubtfire Colin Montgomerie.

Nailed it. I wanted to catch it trickling in, but I jumped the gun.

After the practice session, Cal found us a GREAT BBQ restaurant to eat at…in IOWA! It was only about 20 minutes away and well worth the drive. We followed that up with some delicious creamy custard. Yum.

Terry will tee off the 10th tee tomorrow at 9:10am. It’s the perfect time. It’s been a lot of fun being here this week. I can’t tell you how many comments I’ve had that run along the lines of: ‘Are you actually going to carry that bag around this course?’

Umm, yeah, are you asking all the caddies that or just me? 🤔

The course is hilly for sure. One of the full time caddies that we played with today thinks the course is a bit much for the Senior Tour. Apparently already 11 players have withdrawn. Yes, it’s hilly, and it the temperature is going to rise again, but it’s fine. There are a few climbs where I tell Terry that it’s okay if he speaks to me, but not to expect a response. I just put my nose down and climb. In all reality it’s at the most, 300 yards of walking at a time. Lots of rest in between, so it’s all good.

My yardage book, on the other hand, didn’t last. Because I’m a moron I forgot my little cover in my own golf bag and the paper cover started to disintegrate. The butt sweat and constant pulling in and out of the back pocket took it’s toll and started to wear a hole.

Could not hold up.

I had to get resourceful and come up with a plan. I asked the guy at caddy check-in for a new book and a plastic sheath that they give your credentials in and got the brain going.

😎

I thought I was really going to have to manufacture something, but it turns out I just slipped the front cover in the sheath and taped the little extra bit down. A trip to the front desk and a few strips of packing tape and I was good to go.

👍🏼

We are all set for tomorrow.

Here’s the deal:

Along with keeping a close eye on my boy over the last several days, I’ve also been paying close attention to those around us. I’ve watched all the players hit numerous shots, drives, pitches and putts both on the range and during our practice rounds and I can say this: Terry belongs here.

He hits it and drives it and pitches it as well, and better than some. He’s as smooth as silk and has all the makings of what any of these guys have. He has qualities in his games that some of these guys who love to have. One of the guys we played with today told me how much he liked how ‘Terry swung at it.’

It is an event like he’s never played in before. He will be nervous, and that’s such a good thing. That means it means something. I had a sports psychologist tell me one time: ‘Everyone will be nervous and everyone will have butterflies, but the goal is to get them to fly in formation.’

We are all excited for him and so proud of him already. He is so well liked around the club back home, and comes from such a loving family. I can see that from the fantastic support he has with his family all coming in to watch from everywhere, and everyone messaging about him from back home. It’s truly heartwarming.

Tomorrow is going to be another chapter of this already fantastic journey.

We’ve got this, buddy 👍🏼⛳️🏌️

🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

Step Count: 12 995

6.12 miles

Man these guys are good.

We didn’t have a practice round lined up until just after 1pm today so we were able to take the morning and kick back. Terry’s brother and friend, Cal, arrived last night so we had a nice breakfast at First Watch. Yum.

Day after day we get to the range and marvel at how good these guys are. They NEVER miss the greens! The target greens are loaded with balls, and not a ball to he be seen anywhere else. Amazing!

Zoom in and see for yourself!

Terry put in some good time around the practice area today. It was hot, but got little better when the breeze picked up.

Check out the guy in the distance and to the right. Veej.

While we were waiting for our practice time to come, our buddy Fred from the Palms is great friends with the one and only Lanny Watkins. Fred had him track us down and we met up with him over by the putting green. A super nice guy.

Terry’s eyes are closed, but it’s a good smile.

Terry, Joe and Cal. Chillin’.

I realized Terry and I didn’t have any pictures together yet, so I grabbed him for a selfie.

It’s hard to get him to smile and have his eyes in the proper place at one time. Good thing he’s a great golfer.

We played our practice round with ‘Jim’ something or other. A super nice guy from Massachusetts. He was really excited to be there and see all the players up close. It really is quite a thrill. He is an amateur qualifier, great guy and a wonderful golfer. It will be fun to see how his week goes.

After the round I wrangled the guys together for a little photo op.

I wanted Terry to put his head through the big ‘O’, but he wouldn’t.

The day capped off with a wonderful steak dinner with the boys at a place called The Drover. There is nothing like a rib eye after a good day of lugging the bag around golf!

Tomorrow we will play the back 9 at around 7:50am. It will be good to get it in before it gets too hot.

Total step count: 10 200 (9 holes)

5.05 miles walked

Sweat it out.

It was a beautiful day as we arrived at the course for a 8:16 practice round time. It began with removing anything extra from the bag. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t need 4 dozen gloves in his bag, so those came out.

Someone was a little extra with regards to the gloves…

After a nice warm up, who by the way, warms up in the strangest way starting with a hybrid before even a stretch or a practice swing. It’s like he’s a junior and heads straight for the long ones. It takes me about 50 wedge shots to even begin to think about moving to a 9-iron.

Ripping hybrids straight out of the car.

Fancy.

These balls are the newest Terry has hit since he found that ‘pearl’ in the pile of balls at the practice range at The Palms. He likes to play them until they no longer shine, and then play them until they are grey.

We played the front 9 this morning and then the back 9 after lunch. It was nice to break it up a bit as it is a lot to take in and you want to have the energy to be mindful of all the things you need to.

More players are starting to show up and it’s getting busy around the practice area.

Everyone cramming for the upcoming event.

Fortunately Terry booked us a nice time right in the heat of the day at 1:16 and we played with Phillip Price. He and his caddy Wayne were a pleasure to play with. Super nice guys from England who have been around for a long time. They were friendly and glad to answer any questions we may have had.

Terry mentioned that Phillip had said to him they this was the hilliest course he has played in 30 years of tour golf!

You know you are sweating it out when you drink about 10 bottles of water and you don’t go to the bathroom all day. Not once. Neither of us.

After the round we headed to the range to rip a few drivers. The show is starting to show up and there was nice string of players and champions hitting in a row.

Hard to see them, but trust me, they are there.

Terry picked a nice spot next to this guy:

Recognize this guy?

After it was all said and done, we treated ourselves to some creamy and dreamy custard. Yum.

Tomorrow we will play 9 holes around 1 again.

Day 2 step count: 20 912

9.5 miles walked.

Showtime!

A few weeks back, my buddy Terry snuck off without a word and went and shot a 69 to tie for first in a field of 90 or so players to qualify for the US Senior Men’s Open. It’s a big deal. Terry and I have been playing tons of golf together, and of course, I offered him my caddy services. I knew he had a lineup of people interested in the job, and I certainly didn’t expect to get it, but I did. And here we are. At the US Senior Mens Open at the Omaha Country Club, in Omaha Nebraska.

I wasn’t on the clock yet.

Going to be lots of pics like this. Can’t get him to stop.

Here is our boy!

Terry is not one to get all excited for all the little bits that might seem regular, so I’m here to do that for him 😁 I had to force him to get in that picture above. He wasn’t about it. He will thank me later.

A little warm up.

We played 9 holes today. Course is beautiful and green and in immaculate condition. Hilly. The greens are large and mostly slope back to front. The rough is long and fairways seem soft, but they run out a bit.

I’m wearing my Apple Watch to track steps.

Step count yesterday: 14 700…for a travel day and 9 holes…

Here we go!