A caddie’s job isn’t easy. They’ve got to grab numbers for their player, read putts and lug around a heavy bag an undulating golf course. These duties are difficult under normal circumstances, but add in an injury — such as foot blisters — to the equation, and things get a whole lot tougher.
That’s just the situation Shane Lowry‘s caddie, Brian Martin, found himself in on Saturday at the BMW Championship. But instead of contending with blisters the entire round, Martin made a switch at the turn — albeit into some unusual footwear: Birkenstocks.
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PGA Tour Live cameras picked up on the oddity during Saturday’s third round as Lowry played the par-3 13th hole, and the announcers were perplexed.
“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” one announcer asked. “Are those actually Birkenstocks he’s caddying in? This can’t be real.”
The duo in the booth tossed out their best theories — a lost bet, to even out his tan line, etc. — as to why Martin opted for the sandals, but luckily, Lowry cleared up the confusion following his final round on Sunday.
“He loves those Jordan runners,” Lowry said. “I bought him a few pairs, and I was home on Monday and I brought them up to him this week, and yeah, he just got really bad blisters.”
Lowry explained that he and Martin attempted to bandage the wounds mid-round, but the brand-new sneakers had already done the damage. With options limited, Lowry suggested his looper grab his Birkenstocks to wear for the remainder of the round.
“I said, ‘Why not wear them for the back nine?'” Lowry said. “I mean, it’s dry, it’s fine, and they’re comfy. [He] looked like Jesus out there.”
The switch seemed to work. Not only did Martin’s foot ailment improve on the back nine, but so too did his bosses score. Lowry shot three under on the inward half to post a Saturday 71.