Arlington H.S. grad enjoys caddying on PGA Tour

Arlington Heights resident John Finn knows there's a lot of good that comes with being a caddie on the PGA Tour, especially when the event is in the Chicago area like this weekend's BMW Championship at Cog Hill.

But with every good there's ...

"Ever since I left Boston after the Monday finish (of the Deutsche Bank Championship) - I drove here - and while I'm trying to drive on Labor Day night my phone never did stop ringing, everybody's wanting tickets and stuff," Finn said with a smile.

But he'll take the minor hassles any day for a chance to carry Bryce Molder's bag in a tournament with the prestige of the BMW, the third leg of the FedExCup playoffs.

"I haven't been in too many tournaments where there's such a short field with no cut," said Finn, an Arlington High School graduate. "And to have it here in my hometown, it's a joy."

Not always the case for caddies in general, or Finn in particular, who has been caddying for about 15 years, the last three full-time for Molder.

"There's a lot more going on out there than what people see on television," said Finn, who officiates hockey in the area during the winter. "The travel is extensive, you're constantly on the move.

"You finish up a tournament on a Sunday night in some city and you probably have to be in another city 1,000 miles away and have some work to do on Monday. There's hardly any time off - people don't see that part of it. They just see what's on television and think that's the real fun part - and it is - but there's a lot of things that happen before you get to that point."

But working for a player like Molder, who has overcome some physical obstacles, like being born with no left pectoral muscle (which makes that side of his chest concave), and also with Poland Syndrome, a fairly rare defect that made his left hand much smaller than his right, has been an inspiration.

"He's a great guy," Finn said. "But I've worked for a lot of good guys; been fired by a bunch of guys, but that doesn't make them bad guys. That's just part of the deal."