C.T. Pan withdraws from the Wyndham Championship in second round
Taiwanese golfer C.T. Pan withdrew from the ongoing 2024 Wyndham Championship during the second round following a lower back injury.
Pan had begun the tournament with a 3-under-67 and stood at 1-over-36 on the second day, before pulling out the tournament. The 2024 Wyndham Championship is the last chance for golfers to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs: Pan's withdrawal means he has lost this opportunity.
It had been a decent trajectory for Pan in 2024: he was second at the John Deere Classic last month and T-8 at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He also stood T3 at this year's Mexico Open fulfilling a Major Medical Extension after struggling with injuries previously.
Pan has been battling injuries in recent years. The 32-year-old was out of action for five months after a wrist injury from late 2022 to early 2023.
Did fans really caddy for C.T. Pan at the RBC Canada Open?
A caddy is the most important person for a golfer on the field. So, it was rather unfortunate when C.T. Pan found himself without one after his caddy Mike 'Fluff' Cowan took a fall at the 2024 RBC Canada Open.
The tournament was held at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club. Cowan took a fall but did not incur any major injuries. According to Golf Channel, he received official medical attention for "non-serious injuries" after the incident. While the news that there was no serious injury came as a relief, C.T. Pan was left with zero options for caddies.
In a surprising turn of events, Pan called a fan from the crowds to caddy for him. The lucky fan was a lawyer from Aurora named Paul Emerson. However, he only caddied for one hole before Pan called on another fan, Michael Campbell, to fill in the spot.
Adam Stanley reported on the situation on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Finally, Alex Ridell who is a caddy to PGA Tour player Paul Barjon, arrived at the location. He lived near the venue and rushed to the scene as soon as he heard about Cowan's fall. So, Pan eventually had a professional caddy at his bag.
When Shane Lowry learned of the incident he quipped, as reported by Adam Stanley:
"Fourth caddie? That’s a f****ng record now!"
Well, while the situation was slightly absurd, Pan's presence of mind was impressive. He made it a very memorable day for fans like Paul Emerson and Michael Campbell. A sunny outing to watch golf turned these fans into caddies for a Majot golder. Pan stood T35 at the RBC Canada Open.