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Eleven PGA Professionals Volunteer To Caddie In 21st PGA Cup Matches At PGA Golf Club Contact Bob Denney PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (February 26, 2003) - Could you imagine Phil Mickelson caddying in the Ryder Cup for Tiger Woods? How about Sergio Garcia hauling Jose Maria Olazabal's clubs? Or, even more intriguing, how about Justin Leonard crossing over team lines and caddying for Colin Montgomerie? Those seemingly implausible scenarios are taking place this week at the 21st PGA Cup Matches - the Ryder Cup for the club professional - conducted Friday through Sunday at PGA Golf Club's South Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Eleven PGA Professionals, including PGA Stroke Play Champion Tom Sipula of Rivervale, N.J., and past PGA Cup member Brian Gaffney of Essex Fells, N.J., have volunteered to serve as caddies in the premier international competition for PGA Professionals. Competition begins Friday at 7:30 a.m. EST, with no admission charge. "This gesture by our PGA Professionals speaks volumes about their commitment to their fellow professionals," said U.S. Co-Captain and PGA Past President Will Mann of Swepsonville, N.C. "It's unselfish and really underscores what both our associations have intended to do - build good will in these Matches." Gaffney and Sipula will work for U.S. PGA Cup Team members, and are joined by Scott Alexander of Harrisburg, Pa., Jamie Fordyce of Asbury Park, N.J., and Scott Seifferlein of North Palm Beach, Fla. Gaffney will work for PGA Cup Team member Tim Weinhart of Duluth, Ga., Sipula for Alan Morin of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., Alexander for Wayne DeFrancesco of Baltimore, Md., Seifferlein for Craig Stevens of Acworth, Ga., and Fordyce will carry the bag of Bruce Zabriski of Jupiter, Fla. "I had so much fun and it was such an exciting trip to Wales (in 2000), that I thought to be any part of this tournament would be fun," said Gaffney, who won a key singles match at The Celtic Manor over two years ago. "So, I got a guy (Weinhart), who is a real good player. He's probably going to play a lot of matches; he played great Tuesday in a practice round making a couple of eagles. "This week, I'm the president of the Tim Weinhart Fan Club. I'll do whatever this guy wants. If he wants me to run to the car to get his rain gear, I'll do that. If he wants me to read putts, I'll do that. If he wants his clubs lined up in the bag a particular way, I'll do that, too. The Great Britain & Ireland Team had four players bring their own caddies. The remaining six team members quickly found they had experienced caddies in PGA Professionals Robert Campbell of Jupiter, Fla., Chris Neyman of New Haven, Ind., Todd Norman of High Ridge, Mo., Dennis Perrone of West Palm Beach, Fla., Larry Scortichini of Mount Sinai, N.Y., and Johnny Williams of Boca Raton, Fla. "I think it's just terrific," said GB& I Captain David Jones of Northern Ireland, a member of seven PGA Cup Teams and now a regular on the European Seniors Tour. "The U.S. PGA Professionals are of the same caliber as ours in the sense that they are sensitive to the mood of a player in competition. It's more than just carrying a bag and giving the right yardage information. It is knowing how to handle a player after he has either hit a good shot or a bad one. I know that our team is most appreciative of this gesture." Williams, 51, is a former head professional at Addison Reserve in Delray Beach, Fla., who in the process of searching for a new teaching position. He has not caddied since he was 17. This week, he will carry the bag of England's Graeme Bell. "I had reservations about carrying someone's bag on the other team only because Alan Morin (of Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) is one of my closest friends," said Williams, "but, I forgot all about politics. This is golf and we're here to be good sportsmen. This is a great experience and I'm excited about being in the middle of the action." Chris Neyman; an apprentice professional at Maumee Valley Golf Club in New Haven, Ind., said he also was unconcerned about which team's player he would be assisting this week. Neyman will be on the bag of PGA Cup veteran Paul Wesselingh of Derbyshire, England - someone who was the hottest player in 2000 when Great Britain & Ireland nearly pulled an upset. The Americans prevailed, 13 1/2 to 12 1/2, with Wesselingh finishing 3-1-1. "The weather was so cold in Indiana and I was looking for a new experience that I might find fun," said Neyman. "I'm going to do my best for Paul. I think it's helped that I've played the South Course many times. But, I think the last time I caddied was when I was 16, and tried to help my dad (PGA Professional Gene) earn a berth in the U.S. Open." While Neyman and Williams are busy, Campbell will work for England's Andrew Hare, Perrone for Ireland's John Dwyer, Scortichini for Scotland's Robert Arnott and Norman will carry the bag of Simon Edwards of Wales. The PGA Cup Matches, which originated in 1973 as an outgrowth of the PGA Club Professional Championship, feature 10-member teams from the United States and Great Britain & Ireland. The Matches became a biennial event in 1986. The U.S., boasting a 13-4-3 advantage in the series, has never lost on U.S. soil. PGA Golf Club is the third South Florida venue to conduct the competition. 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