Carlos Tevez Causes Caddy-Flak in Top Ranks of British Open Brass

by Marcus Kwesi O'Mard on Tue, Jul 24, 2012 at 7:50PM

There are two schools of thought concerning Carlos Tevez's recent appearance as a caddy for Andres Romero at the British Open.

One higher up at the Royal and Ancient Club championship committee thinks Tevez brought a bit of glamor and spectacle to the sport, while another thinks it was simply a farce.

Let's start with the naysayer. R&A chairman Jim McArthur said Tevez's performance as Romero's caddy brought shame to one of golf's most prestigious tournaments. Tevez's omission from the official list of caddies didn't bother McArthur so much as the fact that the Manchester City star carruied the bag the entire time, according to FOX Sports.

"He never put the bag down, even when he was standing on the green — it's just absolute madness," McArthur said. "I think we need to to look at this particular case. We normally get a list of caddies at the start of the week."

Tevez himself said that he wasn't qualified enough to advise Romero on the finer points of the game. The Argentine striker was supporting his countryman Romero while having a good time.

R&A CEO Peter Dawson noted that Romero, who shot an abysmal 12-over par 82 on Sunday, had a large crowd following him, and Tevez was responsible for it.

"It was pretty interesting. I thought, because of the big crowd following the group, that golf fans and football fans may overlap a little more than I had realized. It's not a bad thing, perhaps."

Celebrity cadddies are common in pro-am events, but it's rare to see them at major championships like the British Open. Fans could see more stars on the links if Dawson gets his way, but he must first convince skeptics like McArthur (and Shooter McGavin) that top-level golf needs the Carlos Tevezes of the world to reach a wider audience in the modern sports era.

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Photo via Twitter/@BilouFCB