Greg Bodine, caddie to professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau, found himself filled with emotion after DeChambeau claimed his second win at the U.S. Open. That day, Bodine became a major championship-winning caddie. The victory came 13 months after DeChambeau hired him, a day that was also marked by personal tragedy. Bodine and his wife found out she had a miscarriage. While caddying had always been more of a passion than a job for him, the events that shaped his life made the victory a deeply emotional one.
Caddying had been a part of Bodine’s life since high school. He initially started carrying the bag for his cousin, a promising player in the Seattle area, which eventually turned into a professional career. Bodine was with PGA Tour player, Tony Finau, for nearly seven years, but the lack of victories led him to seek change and think about coming home. He had a young family waiting. His wife, Kelsey, was busy with their two young sons, and the viable tournaments were dwindling.
After a short stint with Patrick Rodgers, Bodine decided to shift gears towards a different dream. He left his career in golf to establish an indoor golf facility, investing a significant chunk of his caddie earnings into the business. With the facility running smoothly, he was finally able to spend more time with his family. Bodine’s joy was short-lived – Kelsey was in her second trimester with their third child, and one evening, they realized something was wrong. It was the day when DeChambeau’s agent called to offer him another caddie role.
Despite his personal circumstances, Bodine took the call and subsequently, the job with DeChambeau. The pair’s working relationship was an immediate success. They traveled to major tournaments, Bodine somehow managing to keep his personal life separate from his professional duties. As they moved from tournament to tournament, the pain of his personal loss never left him entirely. During one of the tours in England, exhaustion overwhelmed him and he decided to take a break and fly back home.
Back home, Bodine turned to therapy to cope with his anxiety. Simultaneously, DeChambeau kept checking in, being a pillar of support. Meanwhile, Bodine was still wrestling with the question of whether to return to caddying or not. Eventually, he did return for a few domestic LIV events with DeChambeau and made a historic victory at LIV Greenbrier. Bodine felt a sense of validation for trusting the journey life had set out for him and the decisions he made.
More recently, Bodine stood teary-eyed on the 18th green at Pinehurst No. 2, post DeChambeau’s U.S. Open win. Part of Bodine’s journey over the past year involved learning to trust – trust in life sorting itself out, trust in his circle of loved ones, and trust in letting go. He knew he was exactly where he was supposed to be.
