Michael Greller, 35, is a Grand Haven, Mich., native and former sixth-grade teacher who totes for 20-year-old Jordan Spieth, one of the game’s new stars. They are among a cast of approximately 20 first-time Masters caddies this week.
“I went out this morning early to walk the course and was on No. 16 when they opened the gates,” Greller said Tuesday. “Two years ago, I came here for the first time as a fan. I was teaching school and flew across the country from Washington. I went to the 16th hole that day. I saw those people coming in today and thought, ‘That was me.’”
As Spieth and two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw are both University of Texas alums, Crenshaw offered to have his veteran caddie, Carl Jackson, an Augusta native, provide some Augusta National insight.
“I sat with Carl and Ben on the picnic tables behind the caddie locker room on Monday night, and we went hole by hole with his yardage book,” Greller said. “I sat there again with Carl on Tuesday morning. It was unbelievable the wisdom he has about this place.
“The things he emphasized were to tell Jordan to trust his instincts and for me to always find out where Rae’s Creek is from every hole. That’s a real key.”