In The Weeds: European Tour Bans Caddie Who Ditched Golf Club

The caddie who got his golfer bounced from this week’s BMW International Open for hiding an extra club in the bushes has received his pink slip from the European Tour.

Jose Manuel Lara’s looper, Mathias Vinson, realized on the second hole of the tourney in Germany that he had packed one club too many in his boss’ bag and attempted to ditch the 15th stick (each golfer may carry a maximum of 14 clubs, according to Rule 4-4 of the Rules of Golf). When Lara’s two opponents, Damien McGrane and Peter Hedblom, considered Vinson’s sudden disappearance -- ostensibly to relieve himself in the woods -- fishy, they called the bagman on the carpet.

“He was seen entering a bush with the bag of clubs by his playing partners, who thought it was a little bit suspicious,” John Paramor, the Tour’s chief referee, said on Sky Sports. “They went and asked the chap ‘What are you doing?’ and he sort of fumbled out an answer saying, ‘I’ve got this wrong – I’ve done something bad....I wish it hadn’t happened, etc etc’.”

Vinson’s oversight earned a disqualification for his golfer, who, in the end, is responsible for his caddie’s actions, while the bagman’s brain cramp cost him his job.

“We interviewed the player and are perfectly satisfied that he had no knowledge of what was going on,” Paramor told the Telegraph. “The caddie’s kind of been asked not to come back and that’s how the matter has been resolved.”