On Saturday at the WM Phoenix Open, fans were treated to a fascinating discussion about club selection between Tom Kim and his caddie, Joe Skovron. The moment wasn’t necessarily a new element to golf broadcasts—more so a great job by the announcers of not talking over the audio coming from the mics on the course—which seems to be more evident recently.
The conditions have been difficult all week at TPC Scottsdale—with windier conditions and the course playing firm and fast. So there’s been more pressure than a typical WM Phoenix Open on executing shots with ultra-precision.
We got a great glimpse into this on the par-5 13th hole in the third round on Kim’s second shot. Skovron successfully convinced Kim he had pulled the wrong club—and the decision paid dividends.
Skovron is one of the most veteran caddies on tour—having looped for Rickie Fowler over Rickie’s entire pro career (13 years until they split up last year). Skovron and Kim just started working together in the fall, but Skovron has proven to be a huge part of Kim’s success ever since.
Skovron’s experience was on display in the above exchange, leading to Kim hitting the perfect shot that set up an eagle on the fabulous par 5 at TPC Scottsdale.
These are the type of moments that happen in every group during a tournament—but fans very rarely get to listen in on them. Broadcasts are doing a better job at this lately, as announcers and producers are realizing that fans are missing out on some gold by not talking over the player-caddie audio.
Let’s hope we get more exchanges like this throughout the season.