An impromptu call to a place in history

Tale of friends

Playing in an Asian Tour event in Taiwan, Muniyappa was taken by surprise when he received a call from his former caddie Gautam Roy, asking if he could caddie someone at the Gurgaon bash. Roy, who caddied for Muniyappa for two years before quitting for a BPO job, was even more surprised when the Bangalorean offered him the job.

“I was playing an Asian Tour event in Taiwan when Gautam called me,” said Muniyappa. “A former caddie, Gautam wanted to know if he could caddie for somebody at the Indian Open in order to make some extra bucks.

Later, since my brother Raj Manickam -- my personal caddie now -- was unable to make it to Gurgaon, I asked Gautam if he could caddie for me. He accepted and the rest is history,” gushed the 32-year-old Muniyappa.

The Muniyappa-Roy relationship goes back six years. A caddie at the famous Delhi Golf Club since he was 14, the now 28-year-old Roy carried Muniyappa’s golf set for two years after the two met in Delhi in 2003.

But with no consistent source of income and a family to look after, Roy decided to take up a full-time job, ending his association with Muniyappa in 2005.

“After Roy left me, my brother Manickam started caddying for me. But generally, his visits are limited to only South India. As is the practice followed my many pros, I too hire local caddies for my Asian Tour and northern India tournaments. For the first time, I thought I’d take my brother to Delhi but he couldn’t get the tickets arranged. So I decided to call Gautam and what a happy re-union it turned out to be!” exclaimed Muniyappa.

Sounding delighted after their friendship hit an unexpected high, Roy said he never expected that call could have such a bearing now. “That call to anna -- Muniyappa -- was impromptu. I just wanted wanted to caddie for somebody, never did I expect I’ll be doing it for him, let alone him winning.  It is just fantastic,” beamed Roy.