Billy Foster recalls memories with Seve Ballesteros after he was sacked following a fierce arguement
Caddie can look back at the intense time with a smile on his face after going on to be a coffin bearer at the Spaniard's funeral
BILLY FOSTER treasures his Masters memories — despite being sacked by Seve Ballesteros after a slanging match outside the clubhouse!
The caddie, 50, can smile about that incident now, not least because the pair were reconciled to such an extent that he was a coffin bearer at the Spaniard’s funeral.
But it was no laughing matter at the time.
Yorkshireman Foster recalled: “I did five Masters with Seve and that last one in 1995 started badly.
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“Seve was purring over this new carbon-shafted putter he’d got, bending it every way possible — and it snapped.
“I couldn’t help laughing and that set him off. He said ‘You think it’s funny, you son of my b****’, which was his favourite curse.
“He sent his coach, Mac O’Grady, to get a replacement and he snapped that in half snatching it out of the bag, so he had to use an old one.
“He was in a foul mood for the rest of the tournament.
“I knew what was coming in the final round because he was rattling clubs and abusing me on every hole, saying my yardages were off.
“Then on 17 he complained his banana wasn’t ripe enough and I snapped.
“I yelled at him ‘I’m a caddie, not a bloody greengrocer’ and we kept chipping away at each other all the way up 18.
“When we got to the clubhouse it became a full-scale slanging match, with the pair of us effing and blinding away.
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“Seve eventually stormed off and the next day I got a message saying my services were no longer required!”
Despite that episode, Foster loved his time with the Grand Senor.
He said: “He was the first big name I’d caddied for and what he taught me about Augusta was priceless.
"We were the only people on the course when we went out for our first practice round in 1991 and I think he ran through every shot he’d ever hit at Augusta.
“That practice round took about eight hours. There were hundreds of putts, countless chips and iron shots and we covered every blade of grass.
“I was knackered by the end — but you can’t buy an education like that.”
Foster’s know-how has been eagerly snapped up by five more players. His stint with Lee Westwood this week will be his 24th Masters.
He added: “This will be my eighth with Lee and I also did eight with Darren Clarke, one with Sergio Garcia, one with David Frost and one with Thomas Bjorn.
“I suppose I’ve got a reputation as a fairly decent guide dog.
“Sadly, I’m still waiting for my first win, although Lee has gone close twice, finishing second last year and in 2010.
“That one seven years ago was the closest you could go without actually getting the Green Jacket.
“Lee played great that week and did nothing wrong. Phil Mickelson shot 67-67 at the weekend to beat us by three.
“Lee’s 13 under par would have been good enough to win nine out of every ten Masters.”
Regardless of what happens over the next four days, Foster will always have great memories of Augusta — and a raft of funny tales.
He added: “One of the best was when Seve was playing with Mark Calcavecchia, who was a shot off the lead in the third round but went in the water and triple bogeyed 12.
“He was steaming mad and when he thrust his marker in his pocket, he did it so hard he ripped the pocket and tore most of his trouser leg.
“There were coins and tees falling everywhere and I was on the floor, crying with laughter.
“Calc didn’t find it very funny but I bet he laughs about it now.”