Circling Raven Championship notes: The Caddie Switch: How Gabby Lemieux and Fernanda Lira are changing things up

In the professional golf world, it’s not uncommon to see a friend or family member double as a caddie for their son, daughter or sibling.

On the LPGA Tour, Brooke Henderson’s sister carries the bag, and on the Epson Tour, at least a handful of athletes lean on their loved ones for support.

Gabby Lemieux’s husband, Jared, is with her week in and week out, and the same goes for Fernanda Lira and her husband Ryan Shuttleworth.

What’s less common though is seeing what Lemieux and Lira did last week at the Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic in Pendleton, Ore.

The duo switched caddies, putting Ryan on Lemieux’s bag and Jared on Lira’s. The foursome, who are good friends outside of golf, saw the opportunity to change things up and took it.

“It wasn’t like our husbands weren’t working,” Gabby Lemieux said with a laugh. “We were just wanting to see if we could change the dynamic and get someone else on the bag with a different perspective or different view on a certain part of the game.”

When you caddie for your spouse, you spend almost every waking minute together. The emotions are shared, and you’re on the rollercoaster ride that is professional golf from sunup to sundown. Both Ryan and Jared agreed that when you’re just a caddie, not a husband, it’s a little easier to focus on the game itself.

“You wear different hats out there when it’s your spouse,” said Jared. “Do they need the emotional support? Do they need a read? Now it’s broken down to being a caddie and if they need emotional support, you’re there but it’s a little different. It’s golf that’s bringing you together, not everything else.”

Ryan agreed.

“You become just a caddie for the week instead of trying to balance a couple of different things at once,” he said. “When they’re playing golf, they just need a caddie. It was different just being a caddie; it was a lot harder work.”

Lira explained that having someone on the bag who isn’t around her game all the time helped to clear her mind. Her husband knows her game and can easily break down a shot for her, but Jared, on the other hand, provided a fresh perspective and a sounding board for her thoughts. Lira explained what she was going to do, helping her step up to the ball with her best foot forward.

The foursome will stay switched when the Circling Raven Championship in Worley begins today, trying to ride the momentum of a good week in Oregon. Lira shot a 6-under, 66 in the second round, finishing the shortened tournament tied for ninth. Lemieux wasn’t as lucky, missing the cut by one at 2-over.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be continuous, but for this week (Jared is) going to stay on the bag,” said Lira. “We played really well (at the Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic), and we’ll keep that mindset of trying to take every hole and every shot at a time.”

KEY FRIDAY TEE TIMES

FIRST TEE — Fernando Lira, 7 a.m.; Sophie Hausmann, 7:33 a.m.; Savannah Vilaubi, 12:23 p.m.; Gigi Stoll, 12:23 p.m.; Gabby Lemieux, 12:56 p.m.

10th TEE — Robyn Choi, 7:38 a.m.; Roberta Liti, 12:17 p.m.; Jillian Hollis, 12:28 p.m.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Amelia Garvey has only made the cut twice in her six tournaments on the Epson Tour this season, but when she does play the weekend, she is often in contention to win. Both times that she has made the cut, Garvey has finished in the top 15, even proving earlier this year that she has the game to win. The 23-year-old recorded a career-best runner-up result at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship in June and is coming off her best round of the season at the Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic, an 8-under 64 that propelled her into a tie for 13th. A good finish in a smaller field than usual this week could give Garvey a boost in the Race for the Card and put her one step closer to the LPGA Tour.

Fernanda Lira heads into the Circling Raven Championship fresh off her first top-10 finish of the season. Lira is a winner on the Epson Tour, capturing her first victory at the 2021 FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship, and has the capability to go low. She posted a 10-under 62 in the final round to win at FireKeepers and just signed for a 6-under 66 at Wildhorse Golf Course. Now, heading into the most important stretch of the season, Lira seems to have found her stride on the course and could be a real threat for the rest of the season.

Katherine Smith is looking to put up her best season as a professional in 2023. She comes to Circling Raven Golf Club having made four straight cuts and earning a runner-up finish two events ago at the Four Winds Invitational. Smith has two more top-10 finishes to her credit this season and has only missed three cuts so far this year. Currently, Smith is No. 14 on the Official Money List, approximately $19,000 out of the No. 10 spot needed to get an LPGA Tour card for the 2024 season. The 24-year-old made the cut last year at the Circling Raven Championship and will rely on that past experience to help her across the line this week in Worley.