‘He’s basically my best friend’: Golfer has her father as her caddie

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - To play at Augusta National Golf Club is a dream come true for any player.

But to be able to share the experience with the person who spent years helping you craft your game is special.

We caught up with the youngest player to ever make the cut at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and her father-turned-caddie.

“He’s basically my best friend,” said Gianna Clemente.

Like a caddie knows the lay of the green, sometimes it gets a little bit tough. A dad knows his daughter like the back of his hand.

Patrick Clemente said: “They know their player enough that when they’re running hot, and my daughter does run hot, she’s very competitive, to give her 20-30 yards of space and just let her be. I mean that that’s a fine line.”

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Gianna said: “He’s really good at calming me down. He knows me better than any other person does. And he knows exactly what I’m thinking, and every single moment, so he knows he knows me. Really well. Probably a little too well at times.”

Patrick: “We’ve worked pretty well together. I mean for father and daughter. She’s a teenager too. So, we have our moments.”

Gianna said: “There are definitely moments where you know, the dad comes out, which is understandable.”

Patrick: “A lot of times me telling her hey, G, there’s a hot mic right next to us. Be careful.”

From dad mode to caddie mode and everything in between.

Gianna said: “We know exactly what we’re thinking before we even say it. We finish each other sentences. We know the yardage before we even step up to the ball. We know what club we’re gonna say.”

Little moments can turn into memories along the way.

“I know a lot of kids it’s, you know, they have a good relationship with their dad, but not necessarily in a caddie way. Some people like to keep it separate, but I think we do a really good job of kind of blending it all together,” she said.

Gianna used an Augusta National caddie for the practice round Friday morning. She said she took notes at every turn, which she’ll be sharing at the dinner table right next to her dad.

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