Talk It Out
This player-caddie conversation, and the resulting shot, couldn't have been scripted any better
Harry How
LOS ANGELES — Sometimes, you've got to just talk it out.
Sam Ryder and his caddie, Brent Everson, talked it out on Friday morning at the Genesis Invitational. After missing the fairway in the right rough on the short par-5 first hole, Ryder had only 217 into the green but a rather large obstacle in his way - a tree that Ryder did not believe he could get an iron shot over the top of.
"I'm thinking we take the tree out a little bit," Everson said. To which Ryder replied "this tree?", pointing to the one directly in front of them.
"I can't get over that tree," he said. "I can't get over it with anything."
The ensuing conversation lasted another 50 seconds, Ryder and Everson going back and forth, uninterrupted by any chatty commentators. The type of content golf fans live for:
Ryder eventually went with the "chip a hybrid" option, which essentially means he choked down on it and didn't quite hit it full. The end result was a thing of beauty, Ryder's second taking two incredible hops and rolling all the way out to four feet from the cup. 10 out of 10 on the creativity scale (and yes, there was plenty of luck involved, too):
Ryder went on to make the eagle putt, jumping from one over into red figures for the tournament. He and Everson couldn't have scripted it any better.