Notebook: Actor O'Donnell Takes Bit Role As Brother's Caddie

By Ken Klavon, USGA

Mamaroneck, N.Y. - What's a caddie to do when he's not pulling his weight? Smile sheepishly of course.

What if you're not any ordinary caddie? Well, act like one.

That's the bit part Chris O'Donnell played during the first round of stroke play at Winged Foot Golf Club Monday. The 34-year-old movie actor served as a looper for brother John O'Donnell, 39, of Los Angeles, doing his best to offer support and advice during a 9-over 79 round.

"I gave him pro reads on the greens," joked Chris.

The opportunity to caddie came about when John qualified for his first U.S. Amateur at North Shore Country Club (Glenview, Ill.) on Aug. 2 with a 145. Leading up to this week, John had only participated in one other USGA event, that being the 2002 U.S. Mid-Amateur where he did not qualify for match play.

Nevertheless, the Amateur had been on his mind and he knew he wanted his brother on the bag.

Until a week ago, Chris was unsure whether John would opt to go with the same caddie from qualifying. If not, Chris was on-call in nearby Maine.

"He asked me to do it, but had I not done it, I would have come out to watch anyway," said Chris. "He always caddies for me for the pro-am events."

The two are part of a close-knit family of nine. Their parents and one of two sisters are also on hand to lend support. Golf runs in the family bloodlines, with the two brothers usually battling it out for bragging rights when time permits at Los Angeles Country Club. Chris professed to be a seven or eight handicap, but wouldn't claim to be the better golfer.

A few days before last Christmas, Chris beat his brother for the first time. Chris shot a 71 to John's 73.

"He told me to consider it an early Christmas present," said Chris, who has more than 15 movies under his belt.

The two also tease one another the way brothers inimitably do.

"It's different not seeing him be able to go into the locker room," said John. "Usually it's the other way around."

Monday's round wasn't without comedic relief as well. After sending his approach shot into the left greenside bunker on the East Course's ninth hole, the final one of his round, John hopped into the sand while Chris stood 20 yards away. Chris, off in his own world practicing make-believe putts, watched John get out to about 5 feet of the hole.

He continued standing there until John grabbed the rake and did his own tidying up. Then John shot him an amused smile. The caddie blew it and he immediately knew it.

"That was the first thing I thought about when I saw him with the rake," said Chris.

His lips curled into a sheepish grin.

Twenty-six-year-old Phil Luong of New Zealand, a self-proclaimed cruise-at-his-own-speed kind of guy, never saw it and couldn't believe it.

He was referring to his first career hole-in-one on the West Course's 190-yard 10^th hole. Amid pelting rain, Luong struck his 4-iron and lost sight of the ball. He started walking, thinking the ball probably landed somewhere on the green. Then a raucous cheer could be heard.

The ball landed about 2 feet past the hole before backspin carried it into the hole.

"I just said to myself, 'Ah, it's in the middle of the green,'" said Luong, playing in his first Amateur after trying to qualify for the third time.

Luong said he was elated, but the feeling was tempered by thoughts of his sister Linda. On March 18, Linda Luong, 20, was killed by a drunk driver.

Not one to believe in omens, Luong said he felt the ace was her doing. Since the accident he's worn one of her pendants.

"It's like weird, dude," said Luong. "I know she was here for that."

Luong finished at 9-over 79.

Twenty-four-year-old Andrew Svoboda of Stamford, Conn., would seem to have an advantage this week. That's because Winged Foot is his home course, a venue he's estimated he's played at least 1,000 times.

However, the four-time club champion has only played it off the back tees about 20 times.

He salvaged a respectable 4-over 74 on the harder West Course when he birdied the 18^th hole. He sank a 10-footer for his only birdie of the round. But he also had the misfortune of playing through a steady rain in the morning, which made judging greens more difficult.

"The golf course was playing extra difficult with all the rain," said this year's semifinalist at the British Amateur. "The greens are soft and full of moisture but they're still quick. . I'll take a 74 on this course any day."

The rain forced him to use driver on all but three holes - six, 11 and 15.

As for the pressure? He rolled his eyes, saying it's intense to try to do well. If he doesn't, he wouldn't be the first to stumble on a home course. Jordan Cox, 2003 U.S. Junior Amateur runner-up, failed to qualify for match play at The Olympic Club this year in the Junior Am.

How hard was it raining Monday morning? So hard that pockets of puddles formed on fairways. Worse, it got to be so extreme that the sixth green on the West Course had to be squeegeed three times before 21-year-old Duke junior Nathan Smith could putt.

"It was just absolutely ridiculous," said Smith, who shot 5-over 75. "I understand they have 312 players in the field that they've got to get through, but it was absolutely pouring. . It just wasn't that fun. The golf course played so hard."

The rain not only saturated the course but also club bags, making it harder for players to get solid grips. That in turn affected concentration. With no practice rounds allowed Sunday because of rain, many in the field were apprehensive when strategizing.

"The bottom of the bag is going to get wet," said Smith. "It's inevitable. So what's happening is you have to start hurrying."

That's partially what happened to this year's Junior Amateur champion, 15-year-old Sihwan Kim of Korea who shot 6-over 76 on the West. He said he was never sure where his ball would go because of the slippery surface.

Jim Lehman, brother of professional Tom Lehman, shot a 5-over 75 amid intermittent downpours. He said it was just something players have to deal with.

"I have a tendency to lose the ball right when it's wet, and that's what happened," said Lehman. "But I thought the greens were fantastic. I had one three-putt and that was from 90 feet."

Of the 312 players at Winged Foot, 38 last names begin with the letter S. That's 12.2 percent of the field.

Ron Harvey Jr., 21, of Canada and a senior at Brigham Young University was disqualified for signing the wrong score card Monday.