As Abraham Ancer’s agent for the last eight years, Mike Creasy has been able to help his player out in many different facets. Two weeks ago, he got to mark another level of assistance off his list: caddying.
When COVID-19 issues left Ancer without a caddie less than a week away from the Saudi International, Creasy had to fill in last minute. With his agent on the bag, Ancer never blemished, shooting 7 under on the week to finish tied for eighth.
A week before the tournament in Saudi Arabia, Ancer’s regular caddie Benji Thompson tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Creasy had to scramble to get his player a caddie for the tournament.
“I had to go into fast forward mode to try and get someone else on the bag,” Creasy said.
First, he reached out to Dale Vallely, Ancer’s former caddie, to see if he could make the trip, but he was in Canada and not able to come. Creasy next turned towards Benji’s brother, Justin, who was happy to take over Ancer’s bag for the weekend.
After getting some custom waivers for him last second to be able to go to Saudi Arabia, Creasy thought that he had found his solution. However, the Saturday before the tournament Justin, like his brother, tested positive for the coronavirus.
“I was like good grief, I can’t win here,” said Creasy. “I asked Abraham what he wanted to do since it was Saturday night and we were leaving the next day. He said, ‘I think we have one option here, Mike. It looks like you’re on the bag.’”
Creasy was up for the challenge.
Fortunately, he had some prior experience caddying for players like Norman Xiong and Brice Garnett in Bahamas events and Patrick Reed in Q-School.
However, with Ancer’s unique playing style, Creasy had a lot of adjusting to do with little time to prepare
“It’s funny because, since college, Abraham hasn’t done his own numbers. He pretty much just gets up there and hits it,” Creasy said. “It was definitely an adjustment for him to carry around a yardage book, but we had a pact at the beginning of the week to check ourselves on the numbers, and then, to just have a good week.”
Creasy and Ancer certainly had a good week. On top of a top-10 finish, they were paired with six-time major champion Phil Mickelson.
Caddying at the highest level, Creasy says, gave him a newfound appreciation for caddies on Tour. “I hope people can appreciate what these guys do week in and week out for their players.
“This is not a simple task of going out and carrying a bag, and if people think that they are misinformed. These caddies live vicariously through their talented players, but the reason that they’re hired is to be able to help and have an extra set of eyes and ears.”
Being able to caddie for Ancer at the Saudi Invitational allowed Creasy to realize something.
“There’s so little that differentiates player to player on the PGA Tour,” he said. “They are all super talented, so they have to create their own little edge. Sometimes that’s your caddie. Having someone on your bag that’s able to help you read a putt here or there, figure out the wind, figure out some numbers, and honestly, the most important thing is helping your guy feel comfortable and there’s no science to that.”
As if caddying for one of the world’s best players isn’t enough on his plate, Creasy also had some business to attend to while he wasn’t on the course.
“I had to put my caddie hat on during the day, and then, change real fast and put my manager hat on to do some meetings and whatnot,” Creasy said. “It was a super busy week, but I was comfortable out there and had a great time.”
Although caddying isn’t in his job description, Creasy never hesitated. In his eyes, he was just doing his job.
“At the end of the day, our job is to make our clients’ lives as stress-free as possible,” he said. “If that means caddying for them, then so be it. After Benji and Justin tested positive, Abraham wanted me to fill in, and I was happy to do it.”