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Caddie Cam Caddies are just expendable pieces of equipment

I've been fired by a third of the 60 pros I have worked for,
which isn't a bad ratio in my profession. Usually the player
says, "I'm going to make a change," which means, "I'm sick of
looking at you." I never take it personally, because it's almost
always about how a guy is playing. Of course, a caddie, like any
other piece of equipment, is expendable. That's why I get
suspicious when a player fires extra clubs into his bag before a
practice round. I just try to survive the purge. Even though I
can't control how a player performs, I do have one ironclad rule
for survival: Never, ever babysit. Why? The child might get
boinked on the head, which is much worse for you than giving a
bad yardage. What's more, for five hours a day, you're already
babysitting the kid's parent.

Linn Strickler, 50, has been a Tour caddie since 1973.

COLOR PHOTO: DAVID WALBERG