Xabi Gorospe poses in the test field.
“The fundamental thing is to know the player well, to know what he needs,” says the 24-year professional from Arama on the PGA
Xabi Gorospe is only 24 years old, but listening to him talk about golf makes it clear that despite his youth he knows a lot about it. Until not long ago, it was usual to see him on the pitch displaying his talent after having been a regular player in the regional and Spanish national teams and forging a future in the amateur field – he trained and studied Baccalaureate at Blume – which opened the doors of the professionalism. It was at that time when this Gipuzkoan from Arama coincided with Adri Arnaus, with whom he shared hours of training and also playing, frustrations and joys. When the Catalan found out that his fellow sufferer had left golf, he did not hesitate to call him to ask him to become his right-hand man. Do you want to be my caddy? he snapped at her without preamble. «I was studying then and I saw that it could be a good experience to live the sport in another way. I accepted”.
Gorospe attends to this paper in Southern Hills minutes after completing a practice lap under a blazing sun and stifling humidity. That call, he remembers, occurred in August and since then he has been the ‘shadow’ of the Barcelonan, the one who advises him when he needs it, the one who warns him when he sees him accelerated, his emotional support when things do not paint good. “It is very rare for players of this level to change clubs. If there are doubts, the two talk and a decision is made. The fundamental thing for a caddy is to know the player well, to know what he needs and when he needs it », he underlines. Based on the results, it is clear that the symbiosis works. They haven’t been together for even a year and a few weeks ago Arnaus achieved his first victory on the European circuit, the Catalunya Championship in Girona, in addition to earning the PGA ticket for ranking, the second ‘Major’ of the course after Augusta. “Things are coming together and he seems comfortable,” corroborates the caddy, who acknowledges that sometimes his new activity is “hard.” «You travel a lot, you spend a lot of time away from home, it’s hours and hours in the field, which also means significant wear and tear. There are days that it is hard, the truth, ”affects the one from Arama. Disconnecting after training sessions and games is also sometimes difficult. And that in this case the relationship between Arnaus and Gorospe transcends the professional to enter the field of a friendship forged in the concentrations of the national teams. Stopping talking about golf is difficult even when the bag of clubs is already stored and you don’t have to pick it up until the next day. «It is difficult, yes, but you have to try to do it to oxygenate yourself because if you don’t you can end up burned. But sometimes the player needs you to be there, giving him support. Even if it’s silent.
And what is the one thing a caddy never has to do? The Gipuzkoan professional thinks about it before answering. “One can be wrong or another can be wrong, but you should never look for a culprit. He still sometimes reproaches you for some decision, but it is to unload. You shouldn’t do it, you should never resort to ‘I already told you so’ or ‘I didn’t tell you to hit him like that’. The caddy always has to support and those words never enter into what is a support.
The role of a caddy is decisive, although for the general public it can often go unnoticed because it is the players who monopolize the spotlight and the eyes. He assumes it, but remembers that the same thing happens with the assistant coaches of the teams and yet his role in the locker room is key. In these months as a caddy he has internalized a dogma that in his opinion is irrefutable: “You have to understand the player as he is.”
