By Stuart Hall

Village of Pinehurst, N.C. — Peter Uihlein squatted to line up the putt on his 18^th hole Monday at the U.S. Amateur Championship and then backed off. He walked around the line and then sought sage advice.

"I was thinking straight in and he said inside left, and so I trusted him. Sure enough it went dead in the heart," said Uihlein, 18, of Bradenton, Fla., who made birdie for a 1-under-par 69 at the No. 4 course in the first round of match play qualifying.

"Willie's been here since the grass was green," said Jimmy Thigpen, an eight-year caddiemaster at Pinehurst.

McRae, 75, or "3-over-par" as he likes to say, is the second of four generations that have heightened the Pinehurst experience. Having grown up in nearby Taylortown, an all African-American community, McRae's father was a caddie, his son Paul is a teaching professional, and his grandson, Darick, is also a caddie on staff.

"You'd be surprised at how many requests we get for [McRae and his grandson] to caddie together," Thigpen said. "It's a unique thing to have happen."

This week, though, Uihlein, the son of Achusnet Co. chairman and CEO Wally Uihlein, is McRae's main loop. And Uihlein is certainly deferring to his caddie's wisdom.

"You have to put your own ego aside when you have someone like Willie on the bag," said Uihlein, who shot 1-over 71 on Tuesday on No. 2 to advance to Wednesday's match play bracket with an even-par 140 score. "I mean he's been caddieing for longer than I have been alive."

When asked how many strokes he helped Uihlein with in Monday's round, McRae flashed a smile across his weathered face and simply said: "I helped him on all 69 strokes. We worked well together."

McRae, though, is more than just a Pinehurst caddie - he's a living icon. In 2001, he was one of 10 caddies among the inaugural Pinehurst Caddie Hall of Fame class. In 2003, he was inducted into the Professional Caddie Association Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Fla.

Over the years, McRae has caddied for professionals, celebrities and the common man.

"May 19 was my 65^th year here, so I'm into my 66^th year," said McRae. "I just love to meet good people and have a good time, and have them out here. You meet so many good people out here, which is why I still love to caddie."

Given McRae's status among the caddie staff, Thigpen said he no longer has a set schedule. In fact, McRae gets so many special requests throughout the year, especially during the winter months, that Thigpen said: "Willie is the only one we don't hold to a set schedule. If he calls in and says he cannot make it, then we just say ‘That's fine, Willie.'"

One day McRae was told he was going to be taken off the regular rotation due to the number of requests he was receiving. McRae wanted no part of any special provisions. He wanted to remain part of the main staff of caddies.

Thigpen said that kind of example filters through the rest of the younger caddie ranks.

"He's just a great example for all of the younger guys coming up," Thigpen said. "I've been here eight years and one thing that impresses me is the way Willie treats people. Early on when I got here, he said something that I still pass along to others in their training: ‘Everybody is somebody.'

"Regardless of who you are, Willie treats everyone like they're special. As long as they love golf, then he's willing to caddie."

On a day when the temperatures pushed past 90, and having toted a bag for 7,030 yards around the No. 4 layout, McRae was no worse for wear on Monday. He relishes the opportunity to carry the bag.

"I'm going to be honest with you, I didn't think I was ever going to make it to 50 years old," said McRae. "And now I feel better every year. Not sure when I'll stop cause I just enjoy it so much."

What's not enjoy?

He caddied in the 1999 and 2005 U.S. Opens held here. He caddied for Canadian Gary Cowan, a two-time U.S. Amateur champion, when he won the 1970 North & South Amateur Championship and for Morgan Pressel when she won the North & South Women's Amateur Championship at age 16 in 2004.

To put McRae's career into context, consider this: When McRae was 18, the same age as Uihlein, McRae was an eight-year veteran when he carried the bag for Great Britain and Ireland's Fred Daly in the 1951 Ryder Cup Matches.

"Willie is certainly one of a kind," said Thigpen. "And we're glad to have him."

So is Uihlein.

Stuart Hall is a freelance writer whose work previously appeared on www.usamateur.org.