5. 14.2012
07one cool cat
the most impressive shot on tpc sawgrass’ 17th hole last week might have hap-
pened before the tournament started. a wednesday tradition at the players calls
for caddies to try a tee shot on the water-laden 137-yard par 3. this year brought a
twist, however, as curtis dvorak tried his hand at it. or, more specifically, his paw.
dvorak has served as Jaxson de ville, the mascot for the nfl’s Jacksonville Jag-
uars, since 1996. when the 37-year-old 2-handicap was caddieing the back nine in
full costume for Jim furyk, andres romero’s caddie, adrian monteros challenged
dvorak to hit a shot on 17. dvorak, still in full Jaxson garb, grabbed an 8-iron (“i
have to club down because of the suit,” says dvorak), prompting brandt snedeker
to say, “no chance you hit the green.” furyk’s regular caddie, mike (fluff) cowan
shot back, “i’ll take the cat for $20.” dvorak proved to be a cool cat despite the
90-degree heat: his shot landed safely on the green, causing the crowd to throw
its hands up in a touchdown-like signal and sending snedeker into his bag for the
$20. it might not have been dvorak’s most-impressive shot of the day. he then
grabbed a driver, got on his knees, and sent a shot dead straight that also landed
on the green. “i’m in costume for 300 to 400 events a year so i’ve learned to do a
lot of things in it,” says dvorak. “i dreamed of playing the tour as a kid, so this was a
pretty surreal experience.” —E. Michael Johnson (@EMichaelGW)
ap photo/phil coale
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