Scottie Scheffler's caddie goes down with injury late on Sunday
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![NORTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 23: Caddie Scotty Macguiness fist bumps Scottie Scheffler of the United States as he leaves the course on a golf cart due to an injury during the final round of The Northern Trust at TPC Boston on August 23, 2020 in Norton, Massachusetts. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)](https://res.cloudinary.com/pgatour-prod/w_854,h_480,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto/pgatour/news/editorial/2020/08/23/schefflercaddie-847-robcarr.jpg)
NORTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 23: Caddie Scotty Macguiness fist bumps Scottie Scheffler of the United States as he leaves the course on a golf cart due to an injury during the final round of The Northern Trust at TPC Boston on August 23, 2020 in Norton, Massachusetts. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
NORTON, Mass. – There’s not a lot of elevation at TPC Boston, but there are plentiful mounds that force you to move to a different vantage point to see more clearly. Scott McGuinness was in one of those quirky areas in Sunday’s final round of THE NORTHERN TRUST when he decided to jump for a better view at the par-4 ninth hole.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have a better landing.
Going down with an ankle injury, McGuinness was attended to by medical officials even as Scottie Scheffler putted out at the par-4 ninth.
After a brief discussion with McGuinness, Scheffler supported the decision to provide more medical attention to his caddie. Thus, was the call made to the bullpen.
Eric Ledbetter, 26, got the call.
Ledbetter is in his seventh year as an assistant on head professional Mark Nowosielski’s staff at TPC Boston. There was no hesitation when the staff suggested Ledbetter. “He knows every inch of grass at this place,” said Matt Byers, an operations manager with the PGA TOUR.
A few years ago, Jonas Blixt arrived for a practice round and used Ledbetter to guide him around TPC Boston.
Playing beautifully all week, Scheffler was introduced to Ledbetter and off they went to the 10th tee. The impressive PGA TOUR rookie was 15-under at the time, and nothing over the next few hours with Ledbetter put him out of sync.
In fact, they moved forward with a birdie at the par-4 13th, then a string of pars before the sky opened. A slow-moving storm packed a lot of rain and electricity and play was halted. Scheffler and Ledbetter were in the fairway at the par-5 18th, so the relief caddie’s stint lasted a little longer than expected. But it was worth it. Scheffler made birdie on the 18th when play resumed.
Jim McCabe has covered golf since 1995, writing for The Boston Globe, Golfweek Magazine, and PGATOUR.COM. Follow Jim McCabe on Twitter.