HAMILTON — Al Riddell was going to go have a quiet Sunday afternoon coffee with his family when his dad asked if he had heard that Mike (Fluff) Cowan, C.T. Pan's caddie, had slipped during the fourth round of the RBC Canadian Open and that a fan had started carrying his bag for him.
Riddell put his own caddie gear back on and headed back to Hamilton Golf and Country Club to see if Pan, an old friend of his from the Mackenzie Tour, needed some help.
"I don't live too far. I'm from here. I live 15 minutes away. So we just got changed, got ready," said Riddell. "I just went over to see him and if he was OK, if he needed someone and I jumped in for the back nine."
Riddell usually caddies for Paul Barjon, who missed the cut on Friday, and so he was available to be the last of Pan's four caddies in the final round of the Canadian Open. Pan shot a respectable 1-under 69 in the rain.
Cowan, Pan's regular caddie, went down in the middle of the third hole. Paul Emerson, a fan watching the tournament, stepped inside the ropes to carry Pan's clubs through the fourth hole.
The Taiwanese golfer birdied No. 3 but bogeyed No. 4.
Mike Campbell, who works in caddie services at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, took over for holes five through nine. That pairing grabbed birdies on the eighth and ninth holes.
Riddell and Pan's wife Michelle — who has caddied for him before — were waiting to spell Campbell at the 10th hole. Pan ultimately chose Riddell for the final nine holes of the round.
"I just brought my yardage book and if he needed info, I had info," said Riddell. "And if he didn't, he just wanted me to be quiet which most people do. I just was quiet. So it worked out."
Pan eagled the par 4 No. 12 hole, but also bogeyed Nos. 11 and 16.
The 76-year-old Cowan was not seriously injured after the fall.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2024.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
