Longtime PGA Tour caddie Mike “Fluff” Cowan went down on Sunday during the final round of the RBC Canadian Open.
Cowan, who spent more than two decades on the bag with Jim Furyk, was caddying for C.T. Pan at Hamilton Golf and Country Club this week in Ontario. Cowan, 76, slipped and fell on the third fairway. He was treated for “nonserious” injuries, but wasn’t able to continue the rest of the way.
So, Pan got a bit creative. According to the PGA Tour’s Kevin Prise, a local fan actually stepped in and took over. Paul Emerson, a self-described “golf nut,” was right next to the group when Pan went down and immediately offered to jump in.
“I helped Fluff get the bib off, threw it on and started walking up the hole,” Emerson said.
Emerson wasn’t on the bag for long. A member of the caddie services team replaced him on the fifth hole. Then Pan switched to Al Riddell, who lives nearby and caddies for fellow Tour golfer Paul Barjon regularly, on the back nine. Riddell marked Pan’s fourth caddie of the day.
Pan ended up posting a 1-under 69, thanks in part to a huge eagle hole-out on the back nine, to get to 3-under for the week. That was still more than 10 shots off the lead by the time he hit the clubhouse.
Pan has won once on the PGA Tour in his career back at the RBC Heritage in 2019. He’s missed the cut in two of his last four outings, and has a single top-10 finish this season.
Cowan first started caddying with Ed Sabo in 1976. He spent years with Peter Jacobsen before teaming up with Tiger Woods in 1996, who he was with for a few years — including during his win at the Masters in 1997. Cowan and Furyk split officially earlier this year after 25 years together. It’s unclear how severe his injuries are, or if he’ll be able to continue out the season with Pan.
