Derek sent pictures and information for this article from his
hotel room in California. He was there with Gene at Pebble
Beach, soaking in the scenery at one of the most beautiful courses
in America.
said concerning their score of 71. But still, there was
a bright side. Gene birdied the 17th hole with an
outstanding 35-footer from off the green to get one
shot down going into the final round.
And in the final round, as often is the case, the magic
happened. Rain delayed play until Monday, Derek’s
48th birthday. “Gene birdied the first hole and was
tied for the lead. He worked his way into a one-shot
lead until we were on 15 and he pushed his second
shot right into the thick rough, and then hit his third
shot over the green into a poorly raked bunker.”
Derek said Gene chunked the ball out of the bunker
and made a 12-footer for bogey as Angel Mangel
Jameniz made birdie. On the 16th, Gene hit an 8iron 5 feet from the hole and missed the putt. On 17,
Angel bogeyed, and Gene parred. They were all tied
standing on the 18th tee.
“Both Angel and Gene hooked left off the tee,”
Derek said. “Gene’s ball went way left with a good lie,
and Angel’s ball was in deep rough. Gene hit 3-iron
from the edge of the green and chipped it to five feet.
Angel hit his second shot in the front bunker and then
blasted out to 15 feet. Angel missed.”
Gene had a 5-footer to win the U.S. Senior Open.
“‘Derek what do u see?’ he asked me. I told him, ‘I
like right center Gene, you have made thousands of
these.’”
Dead center. Winner.
Derek said they shared tears of joy. He put his
sunglasses back on to hide the tears. “I tried to call my
wife, and I couldn’t even talk,” he said.
He remembers shaking hands with Ian Woosnam
and the other caddies before seeing his friend Mark
Zyons who caddies for Bill Andrade.
“I had sat up the night before with Ziggy (Mark
Zyons) talking about how I needed to do my job. Ziggy
has won a few times, and I was thrilled to see him after
the round and give him a huge high five.”
Derek knows it was Gene’s consistent and
determined play that won the tournament, but he
certainly takes ownership in the win as well. “I thank
Scott Sterling, Brian Claar, John Huston, Hal Sutton,
Brad Faxon, David Toms, Joey Sindelar and Gene
Sauers, all players who I caddied for,” he said. “There
was something special I learned from each great player
that helped me during this win.”
After the event, there was a Club House party,
and Derek attended wearing his caddy bib and with
Gene’s bag still on his back. “Brad Faxon and I had a
drink to relax a little. We also toasted the membership
of Scioto Country Club, and then the members sang
Derek Happy Birthday with a cake the chef had
prepared.
And even in all the excitement, all Derek could
do was think about his family. “I think of what my
dad would say to me as I stood the on the 18th green
watching Gene give his victory speech,” Derek said. “I
would have loved to have given him a hug then.”
Derek said he couldn’t wait to get home where his
sweet girls were waiting with open arms. He went back
to cleaning up ketchup and laughing at the details that
surround the drama of raising a pre-teen and her little
sister.
It was a great win. It was a really great win.
Derek with his wife Shanna and
beautiful daughters Kennedy and
Kate.
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