Opinion & Analysis
GolfWRXer caddies for Jin Park at the RBC Canadian Open
July 23 was a day I had been looking forward to for weeks — I was going to be inside the ropes with PGA Tour player Jin Park at the RBC Canadian Open.
As my cousin and I drove to the course, we discussed the endless possibilities of what could come from our days experience walking along with Jin.
At 8 a.m., we arrive at the course and were greeted by sunny skies and the sound of pros striping it on the range. We knew we were in for a treat.
After watching Jin warm up for a little while, we headed toward the first tee with his close friend Y.E. Yang for the pair’s usual Tuesday practice round. On this walk was where my day started to fall into place – Jin turned to me and asked if I would be interested in caddying for the day.
Without hesitation I said yes, and took Jin’s Iliac golf bag from Mike Bestor, Jin’s usual caddy, and slugged it onto my own shoulder. Once we got onto the first tee, Y.E’s caddie, James Walton, looked to Mike and sarcastically asked if I had a friend who could loop for him. Little did he know that my cousin Travis was more than willing to lug the bag!
The day was a surreal experience that was filled with laughs, bets and a shocking number of good shots. I knew that PGA Tour players were good, and I didn’t consider myself to be a slouch on the course. However, after following Jin and Y.E around for 18 holes watching them pure shot after shot after shot, I was mind boggled. I don’t just consider PGA Tour pros to be good anymore — they’re unbelievable!
Just as good as their ball striking was their putting. Y.E. and Jin left almost every putt in or beside the hole, blowing nothing by and leaving nothing painfully short like most amateurs.
Jin, Y.E., Mike and James were all extremely down to earth, and took an interest in all the things we had to say. They took two young guys under their wing for the day and stopped at nothing to make sure we enjoyed ourselves
It could have poured rain and Jin could have slipped sacks of sand in the bag for me to lug, and I still would have had an awesome day.
This past Monday, I played in the U.S. Amateur local qualifier at Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon. A full tee sheet from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., the top 11 scores would make it to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying.
I teed off at 10:48 a.m.. With the 7:30 am tee time, you can get a feel for the leaders’ pace, and they were off and running on the challenging setup at Rock Creek.
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Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.
With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.
Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!
Club Junkie
Building my 2026 gamer WITB: Ranking the contenders and new putter projects – Club Junkie Podcast
The annual What’s In The Bag build is underway, and on this episode of Club Junkie, Brian breaks down the clubs currently leading the race for a spot in his 2026 gamer setup. From drivers and fairway woods to irons, wedges, and shafts, he ranks the equipment that’s performing best and explains what’s separating the front runners from the rest of the field.
Brian also heads into the workshop to discuss several putter projects currently on the bench. From head options and shaft choices to build ideas and testing plans, he shares what he’s working on and which putters could become serious contenders for the bag this season.
If you’re a gear junkie who loves equipment testing, club building, and the never-ending pursuit of the perfect setup, this episode is for you.
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Club Junkie
Tour Edge Exotics mini driver review + TaylorMade Spider ZT Max first look – Club Junkie
On this episode of Club Junkie, I put the new Tour Edge Exotics Mini Driver to the test and break down the performance, forgiveness, distance, and where it fits compared to a traditional driver or strong fairway wood. If you have been curious about adding a mini driver to the bag, this one is worth a look.
I also dive into the new TaylorMade Spider ZT Max putter that was recently spotted and discuss the growing zero torque putter trend. Plus, there is a closer look at the new Project X Titan Yellow shaft showing up on the PGA Tour and what makes it different from other profiles currently out there.
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charley phx
Aug 9, 2013 at 10:31 am
hey Nick. sounds like a great experience – i found this article after meeting your dad and brother in florida – your brother and my son played in an event a few weeks ago and became fast friends and i heard about this story.. best wishes on your golf and writing!
Nick Boyd
Aug 12, 2013 at 4:03 pm
Hey Charley, thank you for reading the article! Yea I heard Cameron and your son became good friends down south, it sounded like an awesome trip – too bad cam couldnt get the golf going. Thank you for the well wishes and again for giving the article a read!!
Nick.
Jadon
Jul 31, 2013 at 4:30 pm
wow, how cool is that?! I bet you learn a lot more from those guys watching up close in person that watching on TV. Especially on shots around the green.
Nick Boyd
Aug 12, 2013 at 4:04 pm
Oh around the greens those guys are incredible!
Sean
Jul 27, 2013 at 7:14 pm
Nice! What a great experience for you. Yeah, those guys are good. 🙂
Nick Boyd
Jul 28, 2013 at 10:46 pm
It was an awesome experience one of the best I’ve ever had on the golf course! Ha good is an understatement! Thanks for reading and for the comment Sean!
Nick.