Hamilton, Ontario — At the RBC Canadian Open final round on Sunday at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, Mike “Fluff” Cowan, the caddie for PGA Tour pro C.T. Pan, had a fall.
This made Cowan, a well-liked caddy on the PGA Tour, leave, and Pan was caddied by a number of people for the remainder of the round.
It all began with Paul Emerson, a gallery patron. Emerson, decked out in a Masters T-shirt, slipped under the ropes, accepted a caddie bib, and snatched up the bag. A PGA Tour spokeswoman stated that Michael Campbell, who provides caddy services, replaced Emerson on holes five through nine. Al Riddell, Paul Barjon’s caddy on the PGA Tour, came as the group turned and took over for the remainder of the round.
C.T. Pan enlists a fan to step in to caddie after Mike “Fluff” Cowan was injured after a fall during the final round. pic.twitter.com/HzRLGzIkeu
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 2, 2024
As Riddell’s father brought up Cowan’s fall, he was about to head out for coffee. Riddell, who lived fifteen minutes away, changed, picked up his yardage book, and headed to the golf course to see how Pan was doing.
“I just went over to see him to see if he was OK, if he needed someone and then I jumped in on the back nine,” Riddell said after Pan’s round.
When Pan played on the PGA Tour Canada (previously the Mackenzie Tour), Riddell caddied for him. He claimed that he let Pan to play the back nine by being largely silent.
Pan finished with a 1-under 69 after shooting an even 35 on the back nine. He tied for 37th place with a 3-under total for the week. The time Pan hid for an eagle on No. 12 was, in Riddell’s opinion, the most memorable of the day.
“I didn’t give him the yardage,” Riddell said. “I didn’t even have a hole location sheet.”
Pan’s attitude on the back nine, considering the circumstances, was commended by Riddell. Following his round, Taiwanese-born Pan rebuffed requests for comment.
After the fall, Cowan is anticipated to recover well.
Cowan, seventy-six, began a full-time job with Pan in May. From 1999 until 2024, he served as Jim Furyk’s regular caddy. During Tiger Woods’ first major victory in 1997 at the Masters, Cowan caddied as well.
Pan, 32, won the 2019 RBC Heritage, his only victory on the PGA Tour.
(Photo: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)