Behind the Scenes: A Helping Hand

Editor's Note: If you want more of an inside look into season four, tune-in every Wednesday at 8:30PM/ET for our new Big Break IV All-Access show.
 
Sometimes you have to ask for help. Sometimes you never get it. And sometimes help just finds you.
 
Tommy Gainey found that out quickly the morning of episode four. He woke up not feeling well again. Seems the culture shock and Scottish food was not sitting well with him. In fact, the only thing he had found he could actually tolerate was the pancetta they had served with dinner the night before. So, when he found a special order of it on his breakfast plate I had arranged for that morning, I think it made his day.
 
That morning was the Sunday of the U.S. Open and after breakfast the guys were hungry for the news from Pinehurst. Eddie in a tribute to his fallen roommate and famed impersonator, Richard, had torn out a newspaper photo of Colin Montgomerie and taped it to the windshield of his golf cart.
 
We started the morning at the practice green that day. But before the guys would get to putting, they would be required to answer a few golf trivia questions first. My mind instantly thought Paul had this one wrapped up for the U.S. Team. Only the night before, had he bought a history book on Carnoustie and commented to me this morning how he had stayed up late to read it. And just knowing how thorough he is with everything he does, I was sure it wasn’t the first golf book he had read. However, I was shocked when the American team was beaten by the European team 4-1!
 
In between challenges, as usual, we headed to the driving range for practice. This is where I finally met the caddies, Marty and Adrian. Marty would be paired with Team USA and Adrian would be teamed with the Europeans for the remainder of the shoot. Both had been with Carnoustie for years and both could offer immeasurable help to each team. But Marty, in particular, had been there since 1967. He started as a bag boy, but had since caddied for dignitaries, heroes and superstars including former President George Bush and Neil Armstrong, his boyhood idol.
 
Our heads didn’t stay in the clouds too long, however, as we were soon on our way to the next challenge. Team USA could not put Marty’s experience to use, however and soon found themselves staring down the fairway at the elimination challenge.
 
The challenge was all about driving accuracy and Randall and Paul found themselves safe after round one. After the next round, Tommy was free and clear. T.J. and David were left to face off in the final round. But after three drives, David couldn’t pull it out. T.J. was left dedicating the win to his mother and choking back tears of relief knowing that he had made it another day.
 
David soon found himself in the Jean Van De Velde suite wondering where his helping hand was, sipping on a cold beverage and relaying the stories of the day to Richard, and his old roommate, Bart. While this went on, the remaining contestants found themselves dressing in traditional Scottish kilts, dancing traditional Scottish dances and dining on haggis (yet another Scottish tradition) downstairs.
 
You may be wondering who got the short end of the stick, but the three men in the suite upstairs knew exactly who got it. It was them.
 
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