Anthony Gruppuso – USA TODAY Sports
This week, the best players the LPGA has to offer are testing their skills at Sebonack Golf Club in New York for the U.S. Women’s Open. Much like the men’s version, this tournament is one of the toughest tests in the sport, and tension and pressure are running high. For at least one player, that got raised to a whole new level on Saturday, as Jessica Korda actually fired her caddy midway through Saturday’s third round of play.
And you thought Bubba Watson got a little cranky with his caddie last week.
Let that sink in for a moment. Korda actually fired her caddy during play at a major championship. Things got so difficult between the two that they even got into a shouting match on the course over their disagreement in club selection and strategy prior to the dismissal. Normally, you might expect to see a caddy let go after an event, or between rounds if you absolutely couldn’t get along, but this is something you just never even think could happen.
Korda, a 20-year-old third-year LPGA member, took an interesting line when asked about the firing in her post-round interviews. ”We had a couple of disagreements here and there, and I wasn’t in the right state of mind. I knew I needed to switch and just have a little bit more fun out there,” she stated. “It’s a U.S. Open, it’s tough out there.”
That all seems well and good, but she followed it up by saying that she “care[s] about Jason [Gilroyed, her now-former looper] a lot,” and that she’s “not the type of person to take these things really easily.” I have a feeling it was easier for her than it was for the guy who’s looking for a new job on Sunday morning. I will say, though, getting to end an argument with a Donald Trump-style “you’re fired” might have been cathartic. Korda ended up shooting a one-under par 36 on the back nine after the incident.
In an interesting end to the story, Korda did at least have some decent backup on hand. After firing Gilroyed, she called upon her boyfriend, Web.Com Tour pro player Johnny DelPrete, to carry the bag the rest of the way. With Korda in sixth place and a whopping eleven-strokes behind leader Inbee Park, DelPrete will finish the round, but Korda said she doesn’t know who will caddy for her next week.
Hopefully the next guy at least gets to finish the tournament before he gets the axe.
Brandon Raper is a golf writer for www.RantSports.com. “Like” him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @Brandon__Raper, or add him to your Google+ network.
