Jim Furyk had to take four penalty strokes for playing the first two holes in Saturday's round at the Barclays with 15 clubs in his bag, a miscue that ultimately cost him $131,250. Fortunately, it hasn't cost his caddie Mike Cowan, better known as Fluff, his job.
"We've been through too much together for a long, long time," Furyk told the Associated Press. "He's been on my bag for over 10 years. He does what he does. He shows up on time. He's a good person and he's a good caddie. The last thing I want anyone to do is blame it on Mike. The fact that we both made the error is what surprises me. That's the shocker. I can see one person being a bonehead for 30 minutes, but two people is disappointing."
The mistake occurred because Furyk had been working with a 60-degree with extra bounce, but decided to go with his 60-degree wedge with lower bounce. Because of Saturday's rain, Cowan had the rain hood covering the clubs in Furyk's bag, and neither noticed the extra wedge.
Good for Furyk for sharing blame and not passing it off on a reliable caddie with whom he has worked so well over the last decade. Suffice it to say, not every golfer would have done the same.
-- John Strege
