Ronan Flood was hopeful of resuming his role as regular caddy to Padraig Harrington after dramatically collapsing with a mystery stomach bug and dehydration during the second round of the Volvo Champions event in Durban.
Flood, who has caddied for Harrington for near on a decade and including British Open wins in 2007 and 2008, had been ill before tee off in the $US 4m event but then collapsed halfway down the sixth hole of the Durban Country Club course.
On-course marshals immediately rushed to his aid before he was conveyed by buggy to the clubhouse where he was given fluids, an injection and later a prescription of medicine.
Padraig Harrington with stand in caddy, Pat Cashman.
Flood met Harrington after his round of round of 71 and while still very pale the brother-in-law to the triple Major winner assured Harrington he should be fine for today’s (SAT) third round.
“I just felt terrible. I’ve never ever gone through anything like that before on a golf course,” said Flood.
“All I wanted to do was lie down. I just felt so sick. The doctor thinks it is something I ate and I was dehydrated as a result of something I ate.
“I was lying asleep on a bed and they had to wake me up to give me a ‘shot’ but hopefully it is only a 24-hour thing and I will be fine in the morning.”
Following Harrington’s group was 65-year old Dubliner Pat Cashman, and a friend of both Harrington and Flood and who is holidaying in Durban.
Cashman has been a long time regular at both Irish amateur and pro events working as a photographer for the Golfing Union of Ireland, though on this occasion he was in South Africa without his cameras.
It was not until the eighth tee that Harrington called on Cashman to carry the clubs, and with Harrington doing it on his own in firstly chipping-in for birdie from some 20 yards short of the green at six and then carrying his own bag down seven for a par.
However when Cashman took over Harrington’s bag he duly walked off with a double bogey at eight.
“I’ve known Padraig a very long while as I have been photographing Irish amateur golf events for a long time, so I am very comfortable in his company, and Ronan as well is a personal friend as he is also a member like me at The Hermitage in Dublin,” said Cashman.
“But it was bizarre circumstances and Ronan just looked awful over on the practice range this morning. I said to him are you okay and he said I have a ‘dicky’ tummy. I said if you need help just call me but then I didn’t expect to be called.
“I said to him that I was not going to give him a line or give him a club, nothing. I just carried the bag. So it was a case of keep up and shut up!
“My biggest concern was how much the bag weighed because I am 65 years of age and I am not unfit but you need to be fit to be a professional caddy.
“I have played this golf course a couple of times, so I was a little bit worried about the weight of the bag but also pleasantly surprised.
“But then as I walked around I began getting stick from a lot of my golfing mates here from around Durban and it was funny because they were saying: “Caddy? Can we have the clubs? Can we have this? Can we have a ball?”
With Harrington assured after his round Flood would be fine he took Cashman into clubhouse declaring: “C’mon, I owe you a beer!”
Three players – defending champion, Louis Oosthuizen (69), England’s Tommy Fleetwood (67) and Dutchman Joost Luiten (67) – head the elite 36-player field on seven under par.
Luiten capped his round holing his second shot for an albatross ‘2’ at the par five, 10th hole as the reigning KLM Open winner looks to boost hopes of qualifying for this year’s Ryder Cup team.
Darren Clarke posted a 71 to be still well in contention at four under par and two shots fewer than Simon Thornton (72).
“I didn’t play all that bad but it’s just that my stock shot I use at Portrush, a low punched drive, cost me today,” Clarke said.
