Golf: Mount's Butler delivers star service

Mount Maunganui caddy Tim Butler (right) and David Lingmerth stride to victory at the PGA Tour Memorial Tournament on June 6. Photo / Getty Images

When Swedish golfer David Lingmerth defeated Justin Rose in a playoff to win the 2015 Memorial Tournament this month, he did it with a caddy from Mount Maunganui.

Tim Butler, 48, is still coming to terms with the magnitude of Lingmerth's first win on the rich US PGA Tour.

Lingmerth won US$1.16million ($1.68million) at the tournament hosted by the game's greatest player, Jack Nicklaus, with Butler's share the usual caddy rate of 10 per cent.

"Without a doubt this win is miles ahead of anything before," Butler said. "I play it back in my mind over and over. When the putt went in it didn't really register until Justin Rose was taking his hat off and walking over to David. It was like your life flashing before your eyes.

"It was crazy. I have had some really neat things happen in my life but that was just unbelievable. There have been a lot of aeroplanes, a lot of hotels, a lot of rental cars ... so much had gone into those seven years to get to that moment. It is a big carrot at the end of the stick and keeps you going."

The win opens up the next level of opportunity for Lingmerth, as the Memorial win gains him automatic entry to this year's Open Championship, the US PGA, next year's US Masters and lucrative small-field events in Asia and Europe.

Butler became a professional caddy by good luck and good timing, as much as anything.

"I came home from England nine years ago and brought a house down in Papamoa," he said. "It happened to be next door to Anthony Knight, who has been a professional caddy all his life. He caddies for Aaron Baddeley (and previously Sergio Garcia) and I got to know him really well and through him I met Phil Tataurangi.

"I had a nice job at home but I was kind of bored, and with Phil making his way over there it just came up in conversation one day. Phil asked me if I would be interested and we just took it from there.

"It could never happen that way now. It is too much of a big business over here. Phil really got me from scratch and I was pretty average for the first six months to a year. He was great, he was patient and taught me the ropes. "I worked for Phil for three years on the main PGA Tour and the tour below. Then when his health issues became too much, I started working with different guys and this year with David.

"With the (Memorial) I have gone from the doghouse to the penthouse in a day."