Like many hard-working coaches, Sean Payton is spending his down time working.
Payton will caddy this week for Ryan Palmer at the Greenbrier Classic in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
“What started as a plan of vacationing here at the Greenbrier for a week, after two days I’ve quickly realized, this isn’t a vacation,” Payton said Wednesday at a press conference with Palmer. “But I’m excited about it. . . . I take the opportunity very seriously in that this is how he makes a living. It’s interesting to be on the course and to watch these guys, the athletes, the consistency, the way they hit the ball, it’s pretty amazing.”
Palmer’s regular caddy, James Edmondson, has gotten the week off.
“I understand and completely appreciate that this is game week, and I know what game week feels like for me in the fall and I know what it will feel like for him and what it does feel like for all these golfers,” Payton said. “Just to be invisible as a caddie and do your job and be supportive, those are the things that I look at as being important for me this week.”
Added Palmer: “Just shut up and keep up, that’s it.”
The PGA Tour event gets rolling Thursday and extends through Sunday. It’s the third straight year the Greenbrier has hosted a professional golf tournament; the field includes Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson.