Brennan Simkins walked up the fifth green, marked his ball and lined up a putt that skirted the right of the hole. From the gallery, it was difficult to tell the difference between Simkins, a seventh-grader from North Augusta, and the professional golfers playing in Wednesday’s Par-3 Contest.
The 13-year-old’s journey to caddying for 1971 Masters champion Charles Coody in the Par-3 was far from ordinary. On the eve of his seventh birthday in 2009, Simkins was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. He received a rare four bone marrow transplants in 18 months and has been in remission for four years.
Simkins was familiar with Augusta National Golf Club but had never met Coody or worn the white caddie suit. With a big smile on his face before the round began, he couldn’t wait to hold a putter.
“It was pretty cool. Different than watching it behind the ropes,” Simkins said after sinking an 8-foot putt on the final hole.
North Augusta resident Walker Posey, a longtime friend of Coody and neighbor of the Simkins family, mentioned Simkins’s story to Coody when they were sharing lunch. Coody had another family friend with a grandson who was also treated for acute myeloid leukemia.
“Brennan’s a good teacher. He’s a smart boy. So is Christopher. They taught me a lot of things out there,” Coody said.
Brennan Simkins and Christopher, his brother, flanked Coody walking tee-to-green on No. 5. Then they posed for a photo with Augusta National member and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the sixth tee box.
The two brothers walked off the Par-3 Course like champions. They retrieved golf balls from their pockets to give to other children who waited for autographs and souvenirs.
