ORLANDO – It can be hard to measure a caddie’s role in victory. Some simply carry the bag, while others seem to perform an endless array of duties just short of hitting the shot. For Kurt Kitayama, who won his first PGA Tour title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday, veteran looper Tim Tucker was the calming influence when Kitayama needed him most.
But let’s first rewind to last month, at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where Kitayama said he fumed inside. In the final round at Pebble Beach Golf Links, his caddie at the time, Bryan Martin, misclubbed him on the second hole and his shot airmailed the green, leading to a double bogey. He subsequently tumbled 27 spots on payday after shooting 76 (T-29). Another legitimate shot at winning for the first time fell by the wayside.
