On Saturday at the Honda Classic, Keith Mitchell, who would eventually go on to grab his first career victory with a birdie at the 72nd hole, played in the final group alongside Sungjae Im. That coupled with the fact that Rickie Fowler and Vijay Singh – arguably the two biggest names at the top of the leaderboard along with Brooks Koepka – had finished their rounds earlier in the day earned Mitchell a lot of screen time on TV, as his third-round 70 kept him in the mix heading into the final round.
Because of that, many golf fans who may have not even heard of Mitchell before were also introduced to his caddie Pete Persolja, whose appearance alone instantly grabs your attention. But there was another reason fans on social media were intrigued by his presence, and it was because he was using a compass as he and Mitchell navigated “The Bear Trap” holes. Here’s a Twitter photo (with Persolja’s head missing) of him holding the compass:
@GolfCentral That looks like an illegal device Keith Mitchell’s caddie used on 17. pic.twitter.com/SP9rZBtlmZ
— Douglas Henderson Jr., Esq. (@DHender499) March 2, 2019
And here’s another where you can actually see Persolja, better known as “Crunchy Pete”, which is easily the best caddie nickname on tour:
https://twitter.com/TheBossman102/status/1101969521613639683
The compass, as NBC TV’s Paul Azinger pointed out during Saturday’s coverage, is completely legal, and it’s fitting that Persolja would use one as he calls himself “the caddie version of Bear Grylls” in his Twitter bio. Unfortunately, with all the Sunday chaos at the Honda, (Rickie surging, Vijay in the mix, Koepka going low, etc.) Mitchell and his right-hand man got lost in the crowd, which is understandable. But thanks to Mitchell’s winning putt (and hopefully this post), Persolja is getting some well-deserved shine on social media. We like the Bear Grylls comparison, but doesn’t he look a LOT more like the caddie from “Happy Gilmore”?
Apparently, we are not alone in thinking this, as many on Twitter have made the same comparison:
Keith Mitchell’s caddie… pic.twitter.com/3b5pMvMM5M
— Jeff Haught (@jhaught2107) March 3, 2019
By the way, here is Persolja’s full Twitter bio, which seems just about perfect:
And that’s not all. His Twitter account is full of quotes that belong on plaques. Seriously, some of these would look great on my desk at work:
While I appreciate the gesture of the @pgatour giving me a health insurance stipend I assure you that won’t be necessary. I have never had so much as a hang nail. I cleanse my body by drinking from natural springs and hanging upside down from tree limbs.
— Crunchy Pete (@CrunchManPete) October 19, 2018
I don’t pick fights, Mark. I finish them. https://t.co/6Ev6CH7hX7
— Crunchy Pete (@CrunchManPete) October 19, 2018
A great thing about having long hair is how versatile it can be. I have 3 different styles. Middle part, left part, and right part.
Middle- For running or wearing a hat aka “Exercise Pete”
Left- For road trip cruising aka “Windows down Pete”
Right- For dates aka “Formal Pete”
— Crunchy Pete (@CrunchManPete) August 16, 2018
Yep! Always feel like I could reach into a garbage can and pull out a rainbow. https://t.co/qpAiO6KHQ8
— Crunchy Pete (@CrunchManPete) June 19, 2018
What. A. Legend. If you’re not following Pete already, go smash that follow button @CrunchManPete immediately. He’s our new favourite caddie, your new favourite caddie and your favourite caddie’s favourite caddie. He’s also in for a NICE pay day (as long as Mitchell tips a bit better than… ah, NVM):
I’m not good at math what is 10% of this? pic.twitter.com/BvbzAQEHc3
— Crunchy Pete (@CrunchManPete) March 4, 2019
Congrats to Pete, and we wish him nothing but the best for the rest of the season. And please, never shave the beard, Crunchman.