"PGA Tour To Test Miking Caddies For Television"

I'm assuming this has been a work in progress (the story implies recent events have driven the idea), but either way, there is potentially great news in Doug Ferguson's notes column, assuming players and caddies will feel up to cooperating. Hopefully the SVP of Brand Dilation will explain to players that being captured having an interesting conversation is good for a Q bump.

The topic was brought up last week at the TOUR's annual meeting with the caddies. Some of them are concerned about being limited in what they say -- not during the shot, but the three hours of dead time during a round.

"I know what they're trying to do, and that's good," said Jimmie Johnson, the caddie for Steve Stricker. "I'm not worried about what comes out of the caddie. I'm worried about what goes into the trailer."

His argument, one that several other caddies share, is that having a microphone will pick up everything they say during a four-hour round. None of that stuff will make the telecast, but they have no guarantee that something inappropriate they might say -- about someone in the gallery, another player -- could be leaked.

"Most of us are aware when the big boom mike is around, and it's usually when you're coming down the stretch. You know what you say is being picked up," said caddie Mitch Knox, whose players have included David Duval and Daniel Chopra. "But having a mike could be a problem."