A big-time day of donations by J.T. Poston and caddie Aaron Flener, Face App fun, Portrush scenes and more

With two tournaments going on at once – the Open Championship in Northern Ireland and the Barbasol Championship in Kentucky – there were plenty of social media moments involving caddies over the last week.
Since the Open took the bulk of the attention, let’s start with some of the fun stuff that came out of the Barbasol Championship.
First off, let’s throw another shoutout to J.T. Poston and caddie Aaron Flener. The peer pledged $22 apiece for each of J.T.’s birdies at the John Deere Classic and the Barbasol Championship to go toward a fund for the children of late Kentucky football star, Jared Lorenzen.
Poston made seven birdies before missing the cut at the John Deere, but then went OFF in the first round of the Barbasol with an incredible 11 birdies.
11 birdies x $22 x 3 = $726 out there for the Jared Lorenzen Memorial Fund today, plus even more from a few others who also joined the cause.
Fun walking 18 with these guys today. Let’s do it three more times and get this 🏆! pic.twitter.com/WvnmlSz5v4
— Drew Franklin (@DrewFranklinKSR) July 18, 2019
https://twitter.com/EliGehnLEX18/status/1151957562813755393
Poston would finish T29 with 25 birdies at Barbasol, bringing the two-week total from player and caddie to $1,408.
Well done, boys!
Of course, with Flener, there’s got to be some comedic relief, too. On Friday, he took the local newspaper to task – and rightfully so – when they misspelled his boss’s last name in a headline following his 62 to lead after Round 1.
LOL @ newspapers. Let me help. P-o-s-t-O-n. pic.twitter.com/VW5W7UQATY
— Aaron Flener (@AaronFlener) July 19, 2019
A golf event in Kentucky – in the dead of summer – is going to mean temperatures closing in on triple digits. Thankfully, those in charge at the Barbasol recognized the caddies could probably use a little something to cool off. So, they did this…
Incredibly thoughtful gesture at the @BarbasolChamp this heat is no joke 🥵 @TheAPTC @CaddieNetwork pic.twitter.com/A3klSvGLQb
— Heidi Hulka (@HeidiThaemert) July 20, 2019
… and it was much appreciated.
It was nice at the turn.
— Don Donatello (@D2_59) July 20, 2019
Austin Cook enjoyed a terrific week at the Barbasol, ultimately finishing T4. After a sensational 63 on Saturday, he took a little time to give credit to caddie Kip Henley for his improved putting.
Haha. He’s a ball hitting machine right now. Anyone could Caddie for the kid right now. https://t.co/FIlTrMlgtv
— KIP HENLEY (@KipHenley) July 21, 2019
Moving across the Atlantic now, here’s what was going on with caddies at Royal Portrush…
First, we bring you this video – sent in to TCN – that went viral of Jordan Spieth and Austin Kaiser (caddie for Xander Shauffele) in a water-chugging contest:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz8jhISFqQH/
Also early in the week, Matt Minister (caddie for Patrick Cantlay) sent us this stunning shot of Royal Portrush (a far cry from what players and fans experienced in the final round)…
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz5wCpOlXP_/
A big-time social media fad the last week or so has been use of the “Face App,” which allows users to upload their photo and select an option that makes their face age years ahead… it’s freaky, actually.
Joel Dahmen and caddie Geno Bonnalie gave the app a whirl:
Joel and I on the Senior Tour: pic.twitter.com/zWFNLh3iVh
— Geno Bonnalie (@GenoBonnalie) July 17, 2019
Whoa.
A Twitter user had a fun Face App joke, too, for Shane Lowry and caddie Bo Martin (and their uncanny resemblance):
lowry’s caddie is his FaceApp pic.twitter.com/aiDWLgWOcc
— Matthew Wiley (@wiley77) July 20, 2019
This trip to the Open Championship marked Bonnalie’s first time to Europe. In a short time, he found it was easy to develop the traits of the locals.
I’ve been in Northern Ireland for 36 hours and have used the term “wee” when referring to something small, called a guy “mate”, and said “cheers” instead of thank you.
Pretty sure I’ll have a full accent by the end of the week
— Geno Bonnalie (@GenoBonnalie) July 16, 2019
During the Open, Paul Tesori – Webb Simpson’s looper – acknowledged a tradition at the Open that makes life as a caddie much easier:
My favorite choice that @TheOpen makes each year is to have local players rake the bunkers for each group. It speeds up play and helps keep us older guys moving quicker. @ryanneale92 , you were a stud today. Thank you. https://t.co/IfvGbpLqgu
— Paul Tesori (@PaulTesori) July 18, 2019
As we all know, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy all missed the cut at Royal Portrush – a stunning development no one could have predicted. Maybe one or two of them could miss the cut, but all three?
Mickelson spent the first two rounds paired with eventual Open Champion Shane Lowry. And, on the eve of the final round, Mickelson’s brother and caddie, Tim, had some nice, encouraging words for Lowry:
We had the pleasure of playing with @ShaneLowryGolf and Bo (his caddie) the first two rounds. Two Awesome guys. I’m rooting hard for them tomorrow. As is all of 🇮🇪
— Tim Mickelson (@goodwalkspoiled) July 20, 2019
Mickelson’s sentiment was one shared by most. Needless to say, Lowry was a popular champion on Sunday.