Страница 28 из 56
Co
“It’s over, Fitz. Let it be.”
“I will not let it be, and you will listen!” Fitz grabbed Co
“It’s just a game, Fitz. Don’t blow it all out of proportion.”
“Don’t give me that, ‘I’m so cool I don’t really care’ routine. I know damn well you’d like to be a wi
“I listen fine, Fitz. What bothers you is that I don’t always obey.”
“No, what bothers me is that you keep doing things that are so stupid, stupid, stupid!”
“Fitz, take a chill pill.”
“You signed up with me for a reason, remember, Co
“Do you mind if I get dressed? I’m starting to feel a draft.”
“What does it take to get you to listen? Do you have any idea how long I’ve been playing this game? Since 1960, golf’s greatest year. I watched the Masters that year on television-Hogan, Palmer, Nicklaus, all playing their best. It was spectacular. I’d never seen anything like it.”
“You must’ve led a very sheltered life.”
“Yeah,” Fitz shot back. “I didn’t live in a thriving metropolis like Watonga, Oklahoma. For your information, I had a great childhood. But what I saw those men do on television that year-that was magic. I wanted to be a part of their world.”
“So you took up golf?”
“Damn straight. I got my first caddie job when I was twelve, at the Riverside Country Club in New Brunswick. I toted bags for some of the best Canada had to offer. Half the time I didn’t even get paid-but I did get onto the course free, which was all I really wanted. Before long, I got a rep as a player and as a caddie-someone who knew what he was talking about. By the time I was sixteen, I was caddying on a regular basis for the club pro. He started taking me around, introducing me to the courses, the clubs, the pros, and…”
“If you were such a hot player, why did you end up caddying?”
Fitz hesitated. “I was good… but I wasn’t that good.”
“But that’s what you always wanted, wasn’t it? Deep down, you didn’t want to carry bags-you wanted to have bags carried for you.”
Fitz gave him an evil eye. “I was realistic enough to know that I wasn’t good enough to play the pro circuit. But I still wanted to be a part of the action. To me, golf was sacred. Still is, damn it. So I worked as a caddie. And I’ve been working ever since. I’ve worked with some of the great names of the last forty years of golf. That’s why it’s so frustrating for me to see you playing the way you have been.”
Co
“Don’t you get it, you moron?” He grabbed Co
“Manly good looks?”
Fitz ignored him. “I saw the same thing I saw in Gary Player and Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. The makings of a champion.”
Co
“You have the stuff, Co
Co
“Yeah. Every player, every strategy-”
“Wait a minute. Let’s go back to ‘every club.’ ”
“What are you babbling about?”
“Since you’re the expert on players and their clubs-who else uses an Excalibur nine-iron?”
Fitz pondered for a moment. “Excalibur clubs are a bit unusual and rarely used-as I’m sure you already know. That’s probably why you picked them.”
“Yeah, yeah-so who else uses them?”
Fitz answered without missing a beat. “Only three players currently on the tour use Excaliburs. You-assuming you count as a player on the tour-Ernie Korman, who’s out sick this week and safely back in Newark -and Freddy Granger.”
“Freddy? Freddy uses Excaliburs?”
“Right. Has for years. Quite a coincidence, huh?”
“Yeah. Especially since he was the one who lured me away from my clubs Tuesday night.” Co
“Freddy played early. Probably took off as soon as he was done. He’s got a wedding to get ready for, you know.”
“Right, right,” Co
“You’re smarter than you look,” Fitz replied. “All the players are invited. Are you going?”
“I wasn’t pla
18
After he escaped Fitz and the locker room, Co
When he arrived, Co
“Psst.” Ace Silverstone waved Co
Co
Ace shrugged. “Rumor is he tied my score. Maybe even beat me by a stroke. Just wanted to confirm.”
“Relax, Ace. I’m sure you made the cut.”
“Well, yes. Obviously. But I want to know if I’ve got the lead.”
“Whether you’re first or second, you’re going to be sitting pretty for the last two days of the tournament.”
“That’s not the point. I’ve got a film crew dogging me, remember? I don’t want them to report that I came in second, you know? Too humiliating.”
“Oh, right,” Co
“I wish they’d get those damn postings up. I can’t stand not knowing.”
Co
“You can say that again.” A grin crept over his face. “Say, did you hear what Freddy did today?”
Co
“Oh, man. He was a disaster out there. A walking comedy of errors. Truly awful.”
“Like what exactly?”
“I haven’t gotten all the details yet. But I hear he hit every water hole on Amen Corner. Some of them twice.”
Co
“This was more than an off day. This was more like an off lifetime. Word is he finished ten over par.”
Ten? Co
“Yeah. You going to the reception?”