Gemma Dryburgh had had experienced caddie Paul Heselden on her bag since joining the LPGA Tour in 2018. Their stand-out week came last year at the TOTO Japan Classic when the Scot won by four strokes from home hope Kana Nagai.
The victory moved the 30-year-old inside the top 100 in the world for the first time and she has since cracked the top 50.
Previously Heselden had worked with Phil Golding who gave him his first win as a caddie – and he would share a photo of him and the Legends Tour player on Caddie Appreciation Day following their victory at the Travis Perkins Senior Masters at Woburn in 2017.
"Starting the final round behind and the leader opening with 4 birdies in 5 holes, victory seemed unlikely but as we walked off the 18th tee they changed the leaderboard to show us 1 ahead. A solid par followed by a nervy wait and my first, and so far only, win as a caddie ensued," Heselden said on his Instagram.
"To have won with a player who had given me so much help and advice when I started out caddying meant a huge amount. My hope going forward is that my second win will be with my current player @gemmadryburgh who is not only a great player but an even better person."
That win did follow in Japan and Heselden was full of praise for Dryburgh as she produced rounds of 71-67-65-65 to run away with the title last November.
"Who would’ve thought nearly 4 years ago that we would witness what we did on Sunday. You hope & you dream but you wonder if it will ever become a reality. When you‘ve been through all the ups and the downs and witnessed somebody work so hard day in & day out, miss cuts by a shot, miss out on playing in major championships, not getting through Monday qualifiers and not making the field as first reserve, it makes victory all the sweeter," Heselden explained.
"It’s been a privilege to be a part of this journey with, genuinely, one of the nicest people on tour and I’m excited to see where this rollercoaster journey will go next. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to send messages, its nice to know so many people are watching. Keep up the good work @gemmadryburgh . We always knew it but now you are officially a Legend!!"
Dryburgh has commented how Heselden has instilled plenty of confidence in her as well as sharing plenty of dad jokes and 'would you rather?' scenarios.
Away from the course Heselden enjoys taking photography of wildlife.
