“This LPGA newcomer hired a local caddy, but not for the reasons you might think,” Sports Illustrated wrote of the Norwegian golfer.

The magazine was just one of several American outlets to mention Borges’ unusual choice: Not having a permanent caddy.

The 24-year-old player even has a new caddy in every tournament he has played this season. In total, he had 11 helpers, usually hired from the golf club where the tournament was being played.

– Oh, I didn’t know that, golf expert Per Haugsrud reacted immediately to the caddy’s choice.

– Taste and comfort

– It seems a bit strange and special to change frequently, but there is a bit of taste and fun. Many people actively use caddies, while others just want to take their bags with them. He doesn’t want to have a caddy and so far it is working very well, continued the Eurosport expert.

Borge is now set to contest Norway’s first win in the women’s PGA Championship since Suzann Pettersen’s rise to the top in 2007. “Tutta” is impressed with how Borge copes with so many different caddies.

– He’s fine, so I don’t think it has any effect on him. In the long term, of course, a permanent caddy must be present in the field. For him, there’s also a financial part, and it’s cheaper with a local caddy, Pettersen told NRK and followed up:

– Now is when it really starts. It seems that he played with few faults on hard courts. It’s gonna be a great weekend.

Good at carrying bags

This week, Borges’ caddy is Corey Birch. It certainly worked, as Norway’s best golfer on the women’s team came in second, just one stroke behind Ireland’s Leona Maguire.

– I just wanted someone to carry the bag, and he did well, said Borge after the opening round.

Although Birch knew Baltusrol’s path inside and out, he wasn’t allowed to contribute anything other than carrying equipment.

This season, Borge has climbed to the top level, and it’s clear what the biggest transition from the Epson Tour will be about:

– That I should have a caddy. I’m not used to it. “I’m just trying to do what I’ve always done, play my own game and have someone bring the club in,” said Borge.

Must

His coach, Geoff Dixon, told NRK that before the season they had to decide whether to go with a professional caddie or a local caddie.

– He’s not used to having a caddie and until this season he wasn’t using a caddie, but in the LPGA it’s mandatory. It was a real challenge. We decided to copy what had worked in the past, and make it as similar as possible, says Dixon, who believes Borge doesn’t need a caddy’s advice.

– I spoke to the caddy before the tournament to let them know what he wanted. He wouldn’t have a caddy if he didn’t have to. “You just need to carry the bag, and let him do the rest.” Just shut up and let him do his thing. It’s working for him at the moment, he continued.

Dixon said that many said Borge needed a caddy, but the most important thing was figuring out what was right for the 24-year-old.

– Caddy can help measure the distance and choose the right club. The caddy must know the players, but the caddy can never get into Celine’s head. He said he’d rather be blamed for his own mistakes than for the caddy to blame, Dixon said.

– Big surprise

The Tønsberg girl is a newcomer, but has impressed the golf world with her game this weekend.

– It’s a big surprise. It’s one thing to be at the top in a regular tournament, but here we are talking about one of the two biggest tournaments and all the best is there, said an impressed Haugsrud.

After the US Open, the PGA Championship is the highlight of the season for women golfers. In 2007, Suzann “Tutta” Pettersen won the tournament, and before the second half of this year’s edition, Borge would try to become the second Norwegian winner in history.

– What he does is quite unique. He was half played and just behind the leader. He had everything to win for, but the pressure was creeping up now. That’s why it’s so impressive that he managed to deliver a second round, said Haugsrud.

– No matter how this weekend ends, he has delivered brilliantly. Before the season started, we didn’t think he’d get the chance to play in this tournament, so it’s a big step towards achieving his goal of being the best in the world, Dixon concluded.