For 63-year-old North Burnaby resident Brian Alexander, the CN Canadian Women's Open at the Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam was a chance to volunteer at the club he's been a member at for the past 10 years and spend some time with fellow members watching the best female golfers play his home course.
Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to be inside the ropes and carrying the bag of 15-year-old Kiwi sensation Lydia Ko, who won the tournament and became the youngest Ladies Professional Golf Association winner and first amateur since JoAnne Carner in 1969 to win on the women's tour.
"I got a call from the caddie service, - and I met with Lydia and her mom," said Alexander. "This was a chance to help out and I'm happy to help out."
Turns out caddie master Dave Showman was given some pretty specific instructions from Ko's mother Tina: they were looking for an older gentleman who knew the course and could provide a guiding hand to the immensely talented Kiwi teenager.
What clinched the deal was Alexander didn't want to be paid anything for his services because he knew how expensive it was for the Ko family to be travelling on the women's circuit as an amateur.
After an opening round 68 put Ko only two strokes off the lead, Alexander could sense something good was happening. Another 68 had Ko in a tie for the lead, and after a third-round 72, Ko was in sole possession of the lead.
While many media pundits expected Ko to blow up on Sunday, the gregarious Kiwi defied her critics and carded a 67 to win by three strokes.
Because of Ko's amateur status, she couldn't claim the $300,000 first prize - that went to runner-up Inbee Park - and that also meant Alexander was denied his 10 per cent cut, or $30,000, as caddy to the victor.
"I knew that going in," said Alexander, who still works in real estate land development. "But I still think I got a pretty good deal."
Alexander, who said he plays to a +1 handicap and his best round at the club is, coincidentally enough, a 67, enjoyed every moment inside the ropes, even though his friends spent most of the time giving him the gears.
"They were all a little concerned about my age and whether I would last all four days," said Alexander.
Even on the final hole, a relatively flat par-four, Alexander's friends were chanting his name and telling him he only had one more hole to walk. It certainly helped that Ko was nursing a five-shot lead and she had just blasted her drive to the middle of the 18th fairway.
Alexander said Ko was easy to work for, and Ko was very appreciative of everything Alexander has done for her.
"He's great," she said. "There are places you don't want to be. He really warns me if it's going to be a fast putt or it's going to be right to left and it's really awesome to have someone who knows the course really well."
www.twitter.com/AlfieLau
