Angelo Argea (November 7, 1929 – October 10, 2005) was best known as the caddie for Jack Nicklaus.[1][2]
Argea was born in Canton, OH. He and Nicklaus first met at the Palm Springs Golf Classic in 1963, when Argea signed up to caddie for him. Argea continued to caddie for Nicklaus for over 20 years. During this time, he was on the bag for 44 of Nicklaus' 70 PGA Tour wins (that tally would later be revised to 73 when Open Championship wins were added to PGA Tour win records). Argea was easily recognizable by his gray afro. Of Argea, Nicklaus has remarked, "Essentially, he has been retired since he was twenty-one."[3]
At the majors, players could not use their own caddies until the mid-1970s;[4][5][6] the Masters held out until 1983.[7][8][9] Argea's first major win with Nicklaus was the PGA Championship in 1975.[10]
A golfer once noticed that Argea didn't read greens, step off the yardage or select clubs, so he asked Argea, "What exactly do you do for Jack?" Argea replied, "He asked me to do two things. When he's not playing well, one, remind him that he's the best golfer out there. And two, that there's plenty of holes left."
"Angelo was known for his ... gray afro, but he should also be known for being an excellent caddie," Nicklaus said.
He was inducted into the PCA Worldwide Caddie Hall of Fame in 1999. Argea died of liver cancer at age 75.[1][11]
See also
- Caddie Hall of Fame
References
- ^ a b "Argea, longtime caddie for Nicklaus, dead at 75". ESPN. Associated Press. October 11, 2005. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ Dolch, Craig (April 15, 1990). "Nicklaus, ex-caddy Argea: together again". Chicago Tribune. Cox News Service). Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ The Gigantic Book of Golf Quotations, ed. Jim Apfelbaum. 2007.
- ^ Loomis, Tom (April 6, 1973). "Chi Chi prefers own caddy". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. p. 30.
- ^ "Westchester winner may bypass events". Victoria Advocate. (Texas). Associated Press. August 26, 1974. p. 1B.
- ^ "Touring golf pros prefer their own caddies". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. May 5, 1974. p. 76.
- ^ "Tour caddies at Augusta?". Times-News. (Hendersonville, North Carolina). November 12, 1982. p. 14.
- ^ Wade, Harless (April 6, 1983). "Tradition bagged at Masters". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). p. C1.
- ^ Anderson, Dave (April 10, 1983). "New Masters caddies collide". Sunday Star-News. (Wilmington, North Carolina). p. 6D.
- ^ "Jack's caddy scores 'first'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. August 11, 1975. p. 16.
- ^ "Angelo G. "George" (Argeropoulos) Argea". Palm Beach Post. (Florida). (obituary). October 13, 2005. Retrieved June 12, 2019.