Closing Time

Hours after the Chicago Bears lost a divisional playoff game to the Rams in overtime, John Walsh stood in a simulator bay with the lead on the NEXT Golf Tour. Three holes remained. $30,000 was on the line.

The 32-year-old caddie at Butler National had hoped the Bears’ magical run would continue, but it wasn’t meant to be. Now, Walsh needed to finish stronger than his favorite team had just hours earlier.

“Golf is a game where we try to control everything, but often we’re at the mercy of the universe,” Walsh said. “Finding that balance is what makes it fascinating—and this time, it worked in my favor.”

In the days leading up to the first round of the second World Series event on the NEXT Golf Tour powered by Trackman—played virtually at Pinehurst No. 2—Walsh cracked his driver. It couldn’t have happened at a worse time. From U.S. Open tees, the par-70 monster stretches nearly 7,600 yards and would be the most demanding simulator test of the season. Competing without a driver simply wasn’t an option.

With only three days left to complete two tournament rounds (the NEXT Tour allows a seven-day competition window), Walsh worried he didn’t have the tools to contend. A local PGA store came to the rescue, loaning him a Srixon driver head similar to his own.

“It turned out to be a blessing in disguise,” Walsh said. “I drove the ball better than I ever have in competition. My launch and spin numbers were almost perfect, and the harder I swung, the better it performed. What started as panic turned into confidence very quickly.”

Walsh waited for a bay to open at his local indoor golf club to start Round 1. It was past closing time when one finally freed up, but he was allowed to stay as long as needed to complete his round. Wanting time to adjust to the new driver, he didn’t tee off until midnight.

He felt tight early and opened with a shaky front nine, playing it in two-over. But everything changed on the par-5 10th. After splitting the fairway, Walsh launched a 287-yard 3-wood onto the green and rolled in the eagle putt. Three birdies followed over the next four holes, and two more came on the way home. He went out in 28 on the back nine to shoot a five-under 65—tied for the opening-round lead. It was unfamiliar territory.

At a friend’s recommendation, Walsh had started playing the NEXT Golf Tour the year before. It had been years since he’d competed regularly. His own playing career began at a small NAIA school in Iowa but was short-lived. He moved west, played regional mini-tour events in Arizona and California, and turned pro in 2018. Soon after, he was paired with PGA Tour winner Charlie Beljan in the final round of an Outlaw Tour event. Beljan shot 64.

“I was really impressed with how easy he made it look,” Walsh said. “I remember thinking, this guy won on the PGA Tour a couple of years ago—and golf doesn’t need to be that hard.”

Walsh posted some encouraging results in state opens and on the Dakotas Tour after his round with Beljan but couldn’t make the finances work.

“It’s just a grind out there,” he said. “I was driving Uber, playing skins games, hustling side putting games. Eventually, I decided to pack it in for a couple of years. That’s when I picked up caddying full time again in 2022.”

He barely played competitively after that. In 2024, a friend invited him to an indoor golf center nearby. Walsh started going regularly, knocking the rust off. As his game returned, so did his desire to compete—and he entered the NEXT Golf Tour.

“I had some work to do, for sure,” Walsh said. “The first time I hit ‘record’ on the tournament app, the nerves hit me hard. I hadn’t felt that in probably four years.”

He shot two-under in his first NEXT Tour event at Wentworth West Course, then followed it with a six-under round at Muirfield Village to finish tied for 12th. He was making money as a professional golfer again.

Now, a year later, Walsh found himself tied for the lead at Pinehurst No. 2—just hours after the Bears’ season ended. The NEXT Tour’s season-long money leader earns a start on the DP World Tour and six exemptions on the HotelPlanner Tour.

Before Round 2, Walsh committed to his routine: same warm-up, same snacks, and a midnight starting time. Then he teed off—and promptly hooked his opening drive into the native area.

“What got me through was patience,” Walsh said. “Pinehurst No. 2 is unbelievably demanding tee to green. Even when you hit the green, there’s no guarantee the ball stays there.”

When he found trouble or had poor angles to flags, Walsh played conservatively, trusting his short game. The approach worked. Through 14 holes, he was bogey-free and four-under on the day—nine-under for the tournament. A curling 13-footer dropped for birdie on the 15th. Walsh had the outright lead.

“I felt very much in control,” he said. “When I took the lead, my heart rate spiked, but I took a few deep breaths, had some water, and reminded myself: this is exactly where you want to be.”

After clutch par saves on 16 and 17, Walsh stood on the final tee needing one more par to secure the $30,000 winner’s check. He split the fairway with the loaned driver and twirled the club. His approach stopped 12 feet from the hole.

The late hour did nothing to dull the adrenaline. Walsh nearly blasted his birdie putt through the eight-foot gimmie circle but it stopped just in time. He was elated.

“Given where my career has been, it’s been at a lull for quite some time,” Walsh said. “But that’s everything to me. This is such a cool route to take.”

Walsh hopes to win the DP World Tour exemption and tee it up on the PGA Tour in the future. For now, he’s taking it one step at a time. 

The caddie has found his way back to professional golf.

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