HAMILTON — Mike “Fluff” Cowan, the caddie for PGA Tour pro C.T. Pan, took a fall at Hamilton Golf and Country Club during the final round at the RBC Canadian Open Sunday.
This forced Cowan, a popular caddie on the PGA Tour, to exit and a series of people to caddie for Pan the rest of the round.
It started with a fan from the gallery, Paul Emerson. Wearing a Masters T-shirt, Emerson slipped under the ropes, was handed a caddie bib and grabbed the bag. From holes five through nine, Michael Campbell, who is a part of caddie services, relieved Emerson, a PGA Tour spokesperson confirmed. As the group made the turn, Al Riddell, caddie for PGA Tour golfer Paul Barjon, arrived on the scene and took over for the rest of the round.
Mike “Fluff” Cowan — C.T. Pan’s caddie — fell down and was unable to finish the final round of Canadian Open.
So Pan enlisted a fan to caddie for him 😂
🎥 @PGATOURpic.twitter.com/syNHcVO9jh
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 2, 2024
Riddell was getting ready to go get coffee when his father mentioned Cowan’s fall. Living 15 minutes away, Riddell got changed, grabbed his yardage book and traveled to the golf course to check on Pan.
“I just went over to see him to see if he was OK, if he needed someone and then I jumped in on the back nine,” Riddell said after Pan’s round.
Riddell caddied for Pan when he was on PGA Tour Canada (formerly known as the Mackenzie Tour). He said he was mostly quiet throughout the back nine, letting Pan play.
Pan shot an even 35 on the back nine en route to a 1-under 69. He finished at 3-under for the week, tied for 37th. For Riddell, the most memorable moment of the day was when Pan holed out for eagle on No. 12.
“I didn’t give him the yardage,” Riddell said. “I didn’t even have a hole location sheet.”
Riddell praised Pan’s demeanor on the back nine given the circumstances. Pan, who is from Taiwan, declined requests for comment after his round.
Cowan is expected to be fine after the fall.
Cowan, 76, started working with Pan full time in May. He was the long-time caddie for Jim Furyk from 1999 to 2024. Cowan also caddied Tiger Woods for his first major win at the 1997 Masters.
Pan, 32, has one win on the PGA Tour at the 2019 RBC Heritage.
(Photo: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)
