Super Loopers
Some of Laura Diaz’s fondest memories involve her family members caddying for her — and vice versa.
In 1995, following her sophomore campaign at Wake Forest, [current LPGA Tour Player and Dormie Network Ambassador] Laura captured the prestigious North & South Women’s Amateur Championship. Her brother, Ron Jr. (now General Manager at Victoria National), was on the bag for her during the 36-hole championship match, a walloping, 7-and-6 victory over Kellee Booth.
A decade later, in 2005, she returned the favor, caddying for Ron when he made the cut at the PGA Championship at Baltusrol. “I was four months pregnant and it was the first cut Ron made at a PGA,” she said. “What a week for our family.”
“My dad [Ron Sr.] caddied for both my brother and me at some point in our careers,” Laura said. “My father actually got me through [qualifying] school the year that I got my [LPGA] card. My brother caddied the first year and then my dad caddied the second year.
“Some people that doesn’t work for,” she added. “But in my family, they’ve always been such supportive individuals with encouraging thoughts, always focusing on the positive, never looking at anything negative.
“Our main objective every time we finished a round was, ‘OK, I’m going to tell you all the things that you did well and then let’s think about two things that we could go work on’ — that kind of mentality. So that always led to a successful relationship.”
Just a month after a pregnant Laura caddied for her brother at the 2005 PGA Championship, she represented the United States team during the biennial Solheim Cup match against Europe. That was when her husband, Kevin, got into the caddying act. “I won my singles match [6 & 5],” Laura said. “So, that was our first real win together.
""Kevin started caddying for me when I was five months pregnant with Cooper, and then he caddied most of the rest of the time that I played full time, until he took the assistant coaching job at Wake [Forest],” Laura said. “And then he came out and caddied a little for me on the LPGA Tour, when I was pregnant with Lily. I’d say on and off for six or eight years.
“We enjoyed that relationship,” she said. “Kevin is extremely supportive, just like my dad and my brother always were with my career. For me, it was easier having someone who I knew was there only for my benefit, someone who wasn’t there because of a paycheck, or didn’t have any type of other motive to see me succeed. It was all just because they wanted to be there to help me. That’s what has always made the husband-wife dynamic so awesome.”
Not to be outdone, in 2017, Ron’s wife, Susan, caddied for Laura and helped her secure a tie for 20th at Marathon Classic in Ohio. Her finish propelled the duo to the Women’s British Open that year at Kingsbarns Golf Links in Scotland, just 10 minutes away from the Birthplace of Golf, the Old Course at St. Andrews.
Completing the family circle, through the years Laura and Kevin’s 16-year-old son, Cooper, an up-and-coming high school golfer, has caddied for his mom at a dozen or so LPGA events. Cooper’s first time on the bag, when he was just 12 years old and headed into sixth grade (they let him use a pull cart!), his mom shot 66 to take the first-round lead at the 2018 ShopRite LPGA Classic.
During a recent LPGA event, Kevin caddied for Laura, while Cooper caddied for Brittany Lang. Laura thinks their son’s passion for the game dates back to that unforgettable 2005 Solheim Cup.
“That was definitely the highlight,” she said. “Having Kevin caddie for me and Cooper in my belly — nothing beats that. I hope, through osmosis, that’s how Cooper got his love for golf.”
Header photo: Daughter Lily on the bagSecond photo: Laura with husband Kevin
Third photo: Laura with son Cooper
All photos courtesy Laura Diaz"
