Former NFL star Derek Anderson shed light on the humiliating experience he had while caddying for Kevin Chappell against Rory McIlroy at the Zurich Classic recently
Derek Anderson opened up about his harrowing debut as a PGA Tour caddie(Image: GOLF’s Subpar podcast)
Former NFL quarterback-turned-PGA Tour caddie Derek Anderson had to apologize profusely to Rory McIlroy after distracting him during the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Anderson enjoyed a 14-year career in the NFL, playing for the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills. During that time, he was also recognized as the best golfer in the league, which led to him being called upon to caddie for the first time last month.
The 41-year-old stepped onto the green to aid Kevin Chappell, who partnered Tom Hoge in the duos tournament. They were paired against Shane Lowry and McIlroy for the first 36 holes of the four-ball format, marking McIlroy’s return to action for the first time since winning the Masters.
It proved to be a baptism of fire for Anderson as he was caught up in an embarrassing incident involving the Northern Irishman, which he was asked about on GOLF’s Subpar podcast. He sarcastically began by saying: “Oh yeah, that was great.
“I felt 5’1″ tall. Kevin hit that shot on 17 on Friday. Shane missed the hosel by an inch. I kind of walked back and I’m kind of not really sure where to go, because the flag was over there and Shane’s chipping.
“I was like, ‘I just want to go put this bag down, get my guy’s putter. Let’s get this over with.’ So I go behind the green and Rory’s chipping from the front-right of the green, right back at me.
“Michael Collins says something to me and I look down [to the side], I don’t even know what he was saying and all of a sudden I hear Chappie (Chappell) yell from 40 yards away, ‘DA, stop moving!’
Anderson caddied against Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy (Image: Getty Images)
“I was like, ‘Oh s***.’ I grabbed the bag and went right behind the camera guy and I just stood there and I froze. I thought, ‘Oh my God, I don’t even know what to do, what am I doing, there’s all these people here.’ Kinda freaking out.
“Meanwhile, Rory had stepped off the chip. Apparently, when I looked down I bothered him. And then he steps up and proceeds to lay sod over it, and I’m like ‘Oh, no.’ And then they made a bogey.
“As we were walking off, I tapped him with the putter like, ‘I’m so sorry dude.’ Going up 18, I’m just staying as far away from him as I could. I apologized to him like five times.”
McIlroy was put off by Anderson’s actions around the green(Image: Getty Images)
Anderson, who plays off scratch himself, then revealed how Lowry jokingly yelled from across the green: “It took you two days and you finally screwed it up!”
Anderson was drafted by the Ravens in 2005 before swiftly moving to the Browns. His journey continued through Arizona and took him on a seven-season tour with the Panthers before ending his playing days in Buffalo.
In 2017, ESPN revealed that Anderson harbored ambitions to play in the Masters by winning the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. McIlroy, meanwhile, was unable to defend his Zurich Classic title with Lowry, ending the tournament T12 and six shots behind the triumphant team of Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin.
