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Caddying For Barack Obama: One Penn State Student’s Four Hours With 44

Tyler Mraz, who studies professional golf management at Penn State, spent the past two summers working the pro shop, giving lessons, and billing members at the Vineyard Golf Club in Massachusetts.

Mraz rarely spends time soaking up the Martha’s Vineyard sun on the course, but he likes to caddy on his days off to earn some extra cash. When he showed up to the club one off-morning last summer, Mraz did a double-take upon hearing who his boss decided he would caddy for that day: former President Barack Obama.

“I thought he was messing with me at first because he’s very sarcastic,” Mraz said about his boss. “He likes to do pranks a lot.”

This time, however, it wasn’t a prank. The Obamas vacation in Martha’s Vineyard every summer, and the golf club is a popular destination for the 44th president and his friends.

Mraz headed to the range, where he was greeted by a team of secret service agents, and then of course, President Obama.

To say he was a bit starstruck would be an understatement.

“I just went mute for like 15 minutes,” Mraz said.

Another 20 minutes went by before Obama’s group teed off on the first hole. He was playing that day with his 2008 campaign manager Mike Brush, businessman and investor Glenn Hutchins, and childhood friend Cyrus Walker. In the company of this friendly and down-to-earth group, it didn’t take long for Mraz’s nerves to calm down.

“Obviously at first I was incredibly nervous and just didn’t know what to say to him,” Mraz said. “But eventually it got to a point where I was just like — I think it was on the second hole — ‘I just have to talk to him like a normal guy.'”

Before long small talk about golf, school, and summer plans transitioned into cracking jokes and simply having fun. Mraz said Obama liked to trash talk his buddies on the course, ragging on them for hitting a bad shot.

When Mraz made a bold decision to tell Walker he was using the wrong club, Obama took notice.

“Tyler, I think you’re the first person since his wife to say no to him,” he said. The jokes continued for the remainder of the 18 holes.

What didn’t go unnoticed by Mraz was Obama’s impact on others — including himself. On the 13th hole, Obama took the time to meet, hug, and take a photograph with a woman who had been cheering from afar.

For Mraz personally, having the opportunity to interact with President Obama was a life-changing experience.

“It’s crazy that he took the time — within those four and a half hours — to really get to know me,” Mraz said. “He made such an impact on my life.”

On the 18th hole, Obama turned to his caddy and asked him if he had his phone handy. Why? He wanted to take a picture in case Mraz wanted to send it to his parents. “He understands how big of a deal it was for me,” Mraz said. “It was incredible.”

The most remarkable part of the story came two days later when President Obama returned to Vineyard Golf Club for another 18 holes. Mraz was working in the shop that day but asked his boss if he could say a quick hello. So he did.

Without any hesitation, Obama greeted Mraz with an energetic “Tyler, what’s up man?” and a big smile.

“It was the coolest thing I think I’ll ever do,” Mraz said. “It’s one of those things that still hasn’t sunk in and I don’t think it really ever will.”

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About the Author

Rory Pelella

Rory is a senior from Binghamton, New York majoring in Spanish and journalism. She's been bleeding blue and white ever since her older siblings decided to create a family dynasty in Happy Valley in 2006. So, as you can imagine, she loves absolutely everything Penn State (especially the Cheese Shoppe downtown). She's also a die-hard Yankees, Knicks, and Giants fan (it's brutal), and would do anything for a good old fashioned New York slice. Feel free to email her at [email protected] or follow her on twitter @rorypelella.

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