Steve Carroll
PERSONAL – Steve lives in Marina, California and is single with no kids. He may have one of the better jobs in the world. He has been golfing since he was a kid, playing through high school, taking college off, then really getting into it once he started working in the industry.
TIE TO THE MONTEMAR – Steve comes to us as an invite from Clancy Ryan, whom he met in high school, and has been great friends with ever since. I remember when I told Clancy about this event he immediately told me he’s got a guy who he’s pretty certain will come- that guy was Mr. Carroll and Clancy was right… Steve was in this from the second he heard the words golf trip.
Steve seems to love golf and the idea of a golf trip. Although if I worked where he does I don’t think I’d ever want to leave. After college Steve started working at bayonet in the cart barn and eventually started caddying part-time at Pebble Beach. Somebody let him know that Cypress was going to need caddies soon and he got on part-time. He’s now a full time caddy at Cypress and has been for a year and a half.
For those of you newer to the game or just not in the know, Cypress Point, where Steve is a caddy, is constantly ranked as one of the top 5 golf courses on this planet, sometimes even number 1….
https://www.top100golfcourses.com/top-100-golf-courses-of-the-world
Like I said, not a bad way to spend your days. He says he doesn’t want to caddy forever though and is almost finished getting his real estate license. I let him know there are a number of people in this event who would probably be happy to throw him some advice about real estate.
Steve seems all on board with this golf tournament. A great guy who loves golf and who is young enough to take this thing over once I’m underground. A perfect addition to the Montemar.
ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE MONTEMAR – In addition to all the swag he’s bringing from Cyrpress, I’m hoping Steve is going to donate a lifetime Cypress membership to the heaviest guy at the Montemar.
WHAT NEEDED TO HAPPEN IN 2023 – As a professional caddy, Steve will probably have yardage and green reading books sticking out of his back pocket as he’s playing these rounds. His handicap is good and he says his weakness is that he struggles a bit off the tee. Wide open fairways in Scottsdale without the wind and cold of the Monterey Peninsula should help this tremendously. I’ve got a feeling his short game is pretty good and he should score well. How his teammates fair in the team portion of this thing will play a big role in how he finishes up. No reason to think Steve won’t be in contention come Sunday.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN 2023 – Steve is a solid player and played well enough – 86/87 to do some damage. Unfortunately there is a bit of a luck factor in the Montemar and Steve didn’t luck out in the random pairings or draft portion of things. The end result was a finish near the bottom for one of the best golfers in the tournament. I got to play two rounds with him, one before the tournament, and one during the final round, and he was a joy both times. His final round score would have been two strokes better, and his point total 12.5 more, if we didn’t pull the reverse mulligan card after he drained a beautiful 30 foot putt.
WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN 2024 – Our scoring system is built to add some random variance from year to year, otherwise the same guys would always be at the top. Steve needs to catch a little more luck this year and make a little of his own. Aligning himself on a decent scramble team would be a huge first step. The draft will play a major factor as well. Steve gets the benefit this year of being a returning player and having a juicier handicap than he entered last year with. There’s a reason we do that – to keep the rookies from winning. Steve’s got the iron game to earn some major par 3 points and if he can keep the ball in the fairway he should be one to look out for.
ODDS TO WIN- 22-1
FUN FACT – Two years ago he was going to caddy at the ATT Pebble Beach Pro-Am but his guy, Fin Ewing III, had to back out. He’s hoping to be back there next year and also at the Walker Cup, which is coming back to California for the first time since Cypress hosted it in 1981. I’m sure he’s got some other fun stories about who he’s caddied for at Cypress. The 250 member ultra private club’s most recent inductees were Jim Nance and Chris O’Donnell.
MONTEMARS PLAYED – 1
MONTEMAR ROUNDS PLAYED – 3 (TPC Scottsdale, TS-Piipaash, TS-O’odhaam-2023)
LIFETIME POINT TOTAL – 229.5
JACKETS WON – 0
TOP 3 FINISHES – 0
TOP 5 FINISHES – 0
TOP 10 FINISHES – 0
RECORDS – 0
TOURNAMENT HANDICAP – 14
INVITED BY – Clancy Ryan
PLAYERS INVITED - 0
PRIZES DONATED – Last year Steve came through big time with some stuff from his golf shot. Hoping he can come through again. One of the top prizes of last year’s classic.
