“I wouldn’t trade what I’m doing right now for anything.”
The fact that Lively resident Kurt Kowaluk is referring to spending countless hours on the golf course would surprise very few.
But the fact that the statement relates to his role as a professional golf caddie might raise a few eyebrows. After all, from the age of five or six, when he received his first exposure to life on the golf course, Kowaluk dreamed of playing alongside the best golfers in the world.
It didn’t take long for the natural athlete to realize that this dream was not completely far-fetched.
“My first tournament I ever played was at Eagle Lake in South River,” Kowaluk said recently, just before heading halfway around the world to pursue his passion. “It was a 10 and under division, and I shot 55 for nine holes. I won my first prize ever, so that convinced me that I was kind of good at golf,” he said with a smile.
By the time he had reached his early teens, Kowaluk was making regular treks to Ontario and Canadian Junior Championships. Accepting a golf scholarship at the University of Wyoming, the young talent fostered a friendship with fellow Canadian David Hearn, one that paid dividends a few years later.
One of the finest young golfers that Sudbury had ever produced, Kowaluk captured the prestigious Idylwylde Invitational in both 2002 and 2003, losing to eventual champion and fellow NCAA athlete Colby Beckstrom in 2004.
Taking a crack at playing golf for a living thanks to the help of some generous friends back home, Kowaluk hit courses not only across northern Ontario, but also played a mini-tour in Arizona as well as the Great Lakes Tour — all with very little success.
“Once I started playing golf for money, it was really frustrating,” Kowaluk said. “That was all I had on my mind, and I wasn’t playing for fun anymore. I think playing for money affected my golf game. When I look back on it, I wish I could have played for the same reasons as when I was 15 or 16.”
By the fall of 2005, Kowaluk was sharpening skates at a local sports store when chance came calling. Hearn invited his former college teammate to join him through his early sojourn through professional golf tours, with Kowaluk sharing his knowledge of the game as Hearn's full-time caddie.
Within a few months, Kowaluk recognized and appreciated the role he played on the golf course. “The player is the one who ultimately makes the decisions, whereas the caddie is simply helping to supply the information,” he said. “As you go along, you realize there is a reason that he’s here playing professional golf, and there’s a reason that I’m working for him. As soon as you learn that, you realize that you are a very small piece of the puzzle.”
Still, Kowaluk threw himself into his new profession with the enthusiasm and desire to excel that professional golfers truly appreciate in a caddie. After spending a year and a half working with Hearn, Kowaluk enjoyed a memorable 2007 campaign, carrying the bag of Jim Rutledge on the PGA Tour for the bulk of that season.
“You’re right up close to all of these guys that I watched on TV growing up,” Kowaluk said.
But competition is downright cut-throat for the caddie jobs on the PGA Tour and in 2008, the path that Kowaluk was following would bend once again. He freelanced that year on the LPGA Tour, developing working relationships with some of the top up-and-coming Korean, Taiwenese and Chinese golfers in the world. These contacts eventually resulted in an unexpected New Year’s Day phone call from Sun Young Yoo. Kowaluk accompanied the young Korean for the next 18 months or so, including her first tour victory, claiming top spot at the Sybase Match Play Championship last May.
But the world of a professional golf caddie is seldom stable and by the end of 2010, Kowaluk was a free agent once again. “Every time you step out on the course, you had better be organized and ready to perform, because it’s almost like a job interview for every other player on the tour,” Kowaluk said.
Starting the 2011 season with Japanese hopeful Momoko Ueda, Kowaluk said he’s working his way back onto the PGA Tour. In the meantime, he will continue to enjoy his golf journey, wherever it may lead.
Randy Pascal is the founder of SudburySports.com and a contributing sports editor for Northern Life.
