Nick Watney’s wife steps in as caddie

Published On October 28, 2012 | By Jill Saftel

When professional golfer Nick Watney‘s caddie fell ill with a case of heat stroke during the first round of the CIMB Classic, he didn’t have to look far for a replacement. According to The Associated Press, his wife Amber was watching the round of play from behind the ropes, and when Watney waved her over to the 18th hole where he was playing she said, “I’ll carry the bag.”

Watney’s caddie, Chad Reynolds, was taken to the first-aid room and given an I-V drip at the Mines Resort in Malaysia Thursday. He was well enough to return to his role by the weekend, and Watney used a local caddie for play on Friday.

Luckily for Amber, Watney was already on the last hole of the round, so she didn’t have to lug his bag for long. And while she doesn’t know much about the intricacies of being a caddy, she did offer some good moral support.

However, Amber might just have the caddie gene. Her father Rusty Uresti is a tour caddie in the United States and her uncle Omar Uresti is a professional golfer.

“So Nick was telling me, ‘It’s in the blood, it’s in the blood,'” Amber said. “I put in my application for Friday’s round, but I was denied. I was OK with that!”

Watney went on to win the tournament, and $6.1 million, by the close of play Sunday. The win was his first in Asia, though he has five PGA Tour wins in total.

“My wife carried the last hole (Thursday), so she can say that we won the tournament when she caddied,” Watney said.

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About The Author

Jill studies journalism at Northeastern University, covers Hockey East for College Hockey News and is the sports editor for The Huntington News. You can follow her on Twitter at @jillsaftel, just don't ask her to choose between hockey and baseball, it's impossible.