Give caddies a Claret Jug at The Open then. Cut them a Green Jacket at the Masters too while you’re at it.
These are probably the arguments of those who don’t think caddies deserve a gold medal at the Olympic Games.
Three years ago, when Xander Schauffele won the famous prize in Japan, he and his family gave a gold ring to his caddie Austin Kaiser as the victory meant that much to him.
I’ve preached to the sympathy of caddies before, leaping to a noble defence of Harry Diamond who was jabbed with criticism from all angles when his man Rory McIlroy threw away the US Open at Pinehurst. Don’t mention it, Harry.
I argued that no matter what advice or leaning a caddie has in a situation, over any shot, the player has the final say and they determine where the ball finishes. Obviously, the player deserves the gold, silver, or bronze they win at Le Golf National in France this summer.
But this is not to downplay the role of the caddie or contradict my argument that they should get a medal. They act as counsel and comfort to their player when they need to most. The player’s decision is final, but they are a team at the same time.
Veering away from a monotonous script on why caddies are important, a big reason why I believe they deserve to wear medals around their necks dawned on me when watching an interview with Team GB’s men’s eight crew who won gold in the rowing.
Sholto Carnegie, Rory Gibbs, Morgan Bolding, Jacob Dawson, Charles Elwes, Tom Digby, James Rudkin, Tom Ford and cox Harry Brightmore were all given gold medals. The cox sits at the front of the boat to steer it, give commands to their teammates and motivate them. That sounds a little familiar, doesn’t it?
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Olympic golf caddies deserve medals – everyone else gets one!
That’s nine gold medals, which means 27 gold medals were dished out in one race and three medals for people who weren’t rowing. That is a lot of medals for one event. Rowing at the Olympics took place over eight days where finals were contested in singles, pairs, and fours, as well as the eights.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the medal engravers for this year’s Olympics knuckled down to work during Tokyo’s closing ceremony. Time must be of the essence in that profession.
I’m not attacking rowing, that would be quite unnecessary and weird. I’m using the sport as an example to say that the Olympics doesn’t exactly lack gold, silver and bronze reserves in the months of July and August every four years.
Medals are served like school dinners at the Olympics. Have you seen each athlete being given a poster to hold in their other hand on the podium as well? I’ve also learned that after the podium ceremony, medal-winning athletes are given a gold, silver or bronze-winning mascot – you know, that little red thing that keeps popping up and sits in the BBC studio.
And we can’t give caddies a medal?
We can surely carve out three more circles of these most hallowed materials to bring the bag carriers some joy, a small trophy that they will treasure forever. The Olympics is beyond special and each individual sport, with its quirks and characters, reaches the hearts and minds of those who are usually bored by the mainstream tribalism of football.
Pride and joy are inherent in the Olympics and to me, it’s a shame the caddies can’t share that pride and joy and that Schauffele felt compelled to craft a memento for his caddie off his own back in 2021.
Back to the Claret Jug and Green Jacket side of the debate. These are items that cannot be dished out willy-nilly. They are sacred and while you might argue gold medals are too, you could fill the clubhouses of the R&A and Augusta National with the amount of medals on show in Paris in 2024. There is only one Claret Jug and a smattering of Green Jackets.
Spread the joy. Give the Olympic golf caddies a medal. I don’t see why not.
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Have you watched the golf at the Olympics? Do you think Olympic golf caddies should win medals? Tell us on X!
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