This Caddie Wants to Play – Richard Wilson
By Frank Cantrel Jr.
Aug. 24, 2020
Caddies have been an integral part of the game of golf from the very beginning. Many Hall-of-Fame golf careers started in the caddy yard. Jim Barnes, Francis Ouimet, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Bernhard Langer all honed their golf skills as young caddies before they turned pro.
In this original pastel painting, the little boy represents many people who became inspired by the game and the achievements of Tiger Woods, a future Hall of Famer who has 82 PGA Tour wins and 15 major championships to his credit. He is one of five players (along with Sarazen, Hogan, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus) to have won all four major championships in his career and was the youngest to do so. Woods is the only player to have won all four major professional championships in a row, accomplishing the feat in the 2000–2001 seasons.
Like others before him, the subject of this painting is learning about golf and developing his on-course skills by serving as a caddie. The more time he spends caddying, the more he wants to play and become a part of this centuries-old game. This caddie wants to play.
The artist, Richard Wilson, is a North Carolina native who studied art at Pitt Community College. His artwork has received numerous awards and hangs in both public and private collections. Wilson, a member of the GHS, has produced a series of golf-related works that can be found by visiting https://richardwilsonart.com/product-category/prints/golf-series-prints/.