Things didn’t look good for Lee Westwood. A double bogey on the second hole threatened to turn into a bad week—a week that saw his involvement in the Saudi breakaway league come under scrutiny—even worse.
Lucky then that he had his most trusted confidant on his bag: his wife Helen Storey.
Sixteen holes later things looked much brighter for Westwood, who recovered and scored an impressive four-under-par as he sauntered through St Andrews with Storey on the ropes.
Westwood and Rory McIlroy, who starts second on Friday at six-under-par with childhood friend Harry Diamond carrying his bag, are the standard bearers for the player-caddy relationship that means more than just being the hired help.
Fanny Sunesson, Sir Nick Faldo’s caddy who helped him win the 1990 Open title here, is better placed than anyone to shed light when the caddy business becomes a pleasure. She was a professional caddy for hire when Faldo recruited her in 1989, but they soon developed a bond more akin to siblings than co-workers. “It was amazing [working with him],” she says. “Nick is a perfectionist and so am I.
“We had fun, he was very focused on the course and so was I. We were a great team, and now he’s a good friend, he’s like family to me. He is like a brother.”
Showing the softer side of a fierce competitor, she explains, “He’s family. I am very grateful to have that friendship. He is very nice, he is very witty, he is very nice. He tells great jokes, I’m not that good, he’s a great joker, really brilliant, it was a lot of fun.”
Two-time Open winner Padraig Harrington was one of the first to turn to family, with brother-in-law Ronan Flood on his bag. That is their proximity, they often shared hotel rooms.