Maginnes: My memory of Steve Duplantis

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Related: Longtime caddie Steve Duplantis killed in accident

LA JOLLA, Calif. -- Players and caddies wore black ribbons this week in honor of Stevie Duplantis. Away from the golf course, glasses were raised and stories were told. I can assure you that he appreciated the toasts more than the ribbons.

Players and caddies wore black ribbons to honor Duplantis during the Buick Invitational. (Getty Images)

Much has been written about Stevie this week. Most of what has been written was penned by people who didn't know him very well. Considering some of his inexplicable behavior over the years, it would be easy to misrepresent the fun-loving kid that he was. Sure, he was a little crazy and occasionally unmanageable, but when the sun was out or the night was young, there was rarely better company.

With that shock of blond hair flowing over his collar and stubbled chin, he attracted a lot of attention at the golf course. On casual nights out, he wore designer jeans that few caddies could afford and no other caddy would wear, and he attracted even more attention.

Not many other caddies have ever entered an Armani store -- not a lot of players, either, for that matter -- but Stevie D. liked his plumage.

If Stevie had been a mediocre caddy, perhaps his days on the PGA TOUR would have been numbered. But he wasn't -- not by a long shot. His forte seemed to be bringing out the best in young players. His early wins with Jim Furyk -- and a little later, with Rich Beem -- solidified his spot as one of the best caddies on TOUR.

In 2005, he tried his hand at the second stage of q-school with a wounded veteran whose entrance into the tournament was far from prudent. The Hombre in Panama City Beach, Fla., was the venue for Stevie and your humble scribe.

It was the only time he ever caddied for me, and the last tournament I ever played. I told Stevie during an early practice round that this was likely to be the last event that I ever played. He would hear none of it, though.

I don't remember exactly what I shot that week but it was just good enough to keep things interesting for a few days. What I remember most was Stevie's single-minded focus on the golf course. He wasn't a cheerleader; he was more taskmaster than that.

He would talk you through the shot before you hit it, visualizing it right along with you. I never discovered the origin of Stevie's insight but it was apparent in his approach to the game. He couldn't realize that although I could see the shot we discussed execution was another matter all together. But for the first time in a long time I was excited about playing, if only for a moment. The enthusiasm that I knew well from nights away from the course turned to a light intensity on it.

After each round we would practice as much as my ailing elbow would allow and then go down to the beach and have an evening beer watching the sun fall into the Gulf of Mexico. I went home early each of those nights -- I know some may have trouble believing that -- and left Stevie out with a group of new friends that he had made early in the week.

Duplantis spent much of 2007 working for Daniel Chopra. (Getty)

That is the nature of the life of caddies, and even some players. Caddies, in particular, are social creatures who travel in groups and look out for one another. Perhaps now that the game is more of a business, it is less social than a few decades ago but you're still eating dinner in restaurants and bars in unfamiliar towns surrounded by unfamiliar faces.

Stevie never met a stranger. Maybe that is why we managed to get along so well. If I had continued playing I certainly would have asked him to caddy again, although I am sure he would have had better opportunities.

Even on those mornings when the night's activities lingered in the air, Steve was still an exceptional caddy. Playing the final round, after it was clear I wouldn't be advancing to the next stage of qualifying, Stevie made the quick transition from caddy back to friend.

We talked between shots about the decade that had passed so quickly for both of us. He knew that the final 10 or 12 holes didn't require a caddy in the strictest sense. What I needed was a friend and he fulfilled that role even better than he had performed his job the previous three days.

While the day was sad in many ways, it was better for spending it with Stevie.

No man's life can be summed up in terms of good or bad. Certainly a life as incomplete as Stevie's can only be described as unfinished. It is impossible not to think of what might have been.

There was so much promise, so much vitality, that it seemed he would reach his own potential in the same way that he had helped others find theirs, if only in time. The fates had a different idea and that is sad in ways too numerous to describe. My thoughts and sympathies go out to Stevie's family.

He was loved by more people than you know and will be remembered fondly by many you will never meet.

A memorial service for long-time PGA TOUR caddie Steve Duplantis is planned for Tuesday, Jan. 29 at 1 p.m. at the J.S. Jones & Sons Funeral Home in Toronto, Canada.

Duplantis was tragically killed in an auto accident early Wednesday morning, Jan. 23 while at the Buick Invitational. Location: J.S. Jones & Sons Funeral Home 11582 Trafalgar Road, P.O. Box 225 Georgetown, Ontario L7G 4Y5

In lieu of flowers, the Duplantis family has asked that contributions be made to the Sierra Duplantis Trust Fund, established for the benefit of Steve's 11-year-old daughter. Checks should be made payable to the Sierra Duplantis Trust Fund and sent c/o PGA TOUR, P.O. Box 1065, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 32082.