They say it’s a team game between player and caddie, but Celine Borge seems a solo performer, as she set the early clubhouse lead at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship with her 11th different caddie on the bag this season.
The Norwegian, who ended the opening day in T6 at Baltusrol Golf Club, carried her own back throughout her Epson Tour last season as she qualified to make the step up to the LPGA.
And the 24-year-old did not then suddenly change tack and link-up with a permanent caddie, and instead simply uses a local looper at each event – giving a no-nonsense explanation as to her reasoning.
“Really just want someone to carry the bag,” Borge said. “And he's been good at that.”
It certainly worked for Borge in the first round at Baltusrol as she carded a two-under round of 69 on the iconic Lower Course to sit right in touch with the leaders.
And her single-minded approach meant she didn’t even use the local knowledge of caddie Corey Birch on Baltusrol’s large and undulating putting surfaces.
“I got him from the club, so it's been very nice,” she added. “I didn't use him on the greens.”
Players almost always thank their caddies after big wins, with their faithful loopers not just helping with club selection and yardages, but also at times acting as motivators and even therapists depending on how things are going on the course.
How does that not drop? 😰Celine Borge was so close to the solo lead pic.twitter.com/HtPN2IlxCDJune 22, 2023
For now, though, Borge is struggling with that notion, saying that having someone on the bag is proving to be one of the most difficult transitions as a LPGA rookie.
“It's to have a caddie for me,” Borge cited as the toughest part of her debut LPGA season. “I'm not used to having a caddie. I just try to do what I've always been doing, just play my own game and just someone to carry the bag.”
Borge may be wise to try and use 27-year-old caddie Birch a bit more over the next three days, given he grew up less than half an hour away from Baltusrol and has worked at the course for a decade.
Birch says he does about 10 rounds a week as a caddie over the two courses at Baltusrol, and could yet come in useful if Borge settles into having someone on her bag.
