Veteran PGA Tour caddy Mike “Fluff” Cowan went down Sunday during the final round of the RBC Canadian Open.
Cowan, who spent more than two decades on the bag with Jim Furyk, caddied for CT Pan at Hamilton Golf and Country Club this week in Ontario. Cowan, 76, slipped and fell on the third fairway. He was treated for “non-serious” injuries, but he was unable to continue the rest of the way.
So Pan got a little creative. According to the PGA Tour’s Kevin Award, a local fan intervened and took over. Paul Emerson, who describes himself as a “golf fanatic,” was right next to the group when Pan fell and immediately offered to jump.
“I helped Fluff take off his bib, put it on him and started walking down the hole,” Emerson said.
Emerson wasn’t in the bag for long. A member of the caddy services team replaced him on the fifth hole. Pan then switched to Al Riddell, who lives nearby and caddies for fellow Tour golfer Paul Barjon, on the back nine. Riddell marked Pan’s fourth caddy of the day.
Pan ended up posting a 1-under 69, thanks in part to a great eagle hole on the back nine, to get to 3-under for the week. He was still more than 10 shots off the lead when he arrived at the clubhouse.
Pan has won once on the PGA Tour in his career at the RBC Heritage in 2019. He has missed the cut in two of his last four starts and has just one top-10 finish this season.
Cowan began caddying with Ed Sabo in 1976. He spent years with Peter Jacobsen before partnering with Tiger Woods in 1996, whom he was with for a few years, including during his Masters victory in 1997. Cowan and Furyk officially split before that. this year after 25 years together. It is unclear how serious his injuries are or if he will be able to continue the season with Pan.
