Some Dunedin golf fans had eyes only for the man carrying the bag, not the woman breaking through for her first major, at the US Open yesterday.
Beside American star Michelle Wie was her New Zealand caddie of over a year, Duncan French.
He was raised in Invercargill and Marlborough, but his mother, Alison French (nee Dick), was raised in Dunedin.
Duncan French's extended family in Dunedin includes retired optometrist Peter Dick, who was glued to the screen to see his grandson help Wie win her first major.
''It was pretty nail-biting stuff,'' Dick said.
''She stuffed up on the 16th but she got there in the end.''
French (25) was a ''pretty hot'' golfer before he turned to caddying in Europe and the United States, his grandfather said.
He joined Wie, a good friend and LPGA Tour colleague of French's partner, Christina Kim, in March 2013.
''They seem to work together pretty well.''
French is based in Florida, and Dick has not seen his grandson in a couple of years.
Earlier this year, French told Fairfax Media he was enjoying working with Wie.
''We've been good friends for a long time, and we get on great on the course as well,'' French said.
''We keep each other relaxed, and have some fun. That's the main thing out there. We get on well.''
