Pat bags caddy shot

Irish golf photographer Pat Cashman found himself at the other end of the camera lens at the Volvo Champions event in Durban yesterday.

Cashman, who takes pictures for the Golfing Union of Ireland, dramatically came to Pádraig Harrington’s rescue after caddy Ronan Flood collapsed with a mystery stomach bug and dehydration during the second round of the $4m (€2.9m) event in South Africa.

Flood, who has caddied for Harrington for almost a decade, was ill before tee-off and then collapsed on the sixth hole of the Durban Country Club course.

Following the group was 65-year old Dublin native Cashman, who is on holidays in Durban, and Harrington called his old friend into action shortly afterwards.

However the new pairing had a less than auspicious start: 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.

“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.”

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 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. 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.”

Harrington said: “Ronan felt like he was getting in the way and when we finally said goodbye, he could not physically stand up. I really did feel bad because he was lying there but thankfully Pat was out there who holidays down here and he took over. He started off like he was carrying bows and arrows but by the end he had the double-strap going (on the bag) and was using all the lingo.

“It’s amazing how much caddies do for you and it gives you a new appreciation for what they do out there. I know now why we pay them the big bucks!”

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 two 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 another Irishman Simon Thornton (72).