CSUMB alum John Jackson helps make history, and news, in pro golf

By Mark C. Anderson 

One man reached over to the other and pinched him on the arm. Then he asked him for a reciprocal pinch, adding, "It's real?!" 

The two men were Michael Block and Cal State Monterey Bay alumnus John Jackson. Block was completing one of the best tournament performances by a golf club pro – the guys normally helping members tune up their backswing, as opposed to the professionals who play competitively for a living – and Jackson was his caddy. 

They were walking up the second fairway of the PGA Championship when the gallery of fans started chanting Block's name, even with his competition – Rory McIlroy, perhaps the most popular player in the game – next to him. The pinching started. 

The underdog story immediately became one of the most buzzed-about sports stories of the year. 

A few things contributed to that. For one, on the final round, now in the spotlight, Block hit a so-called "slam dunk" hole-in-one, as in straight in the cup, on the fly, no bouncing or rolling. People in the crowd were so electrified they started dancing in near mosh-like fashion. Meanwhile, Block was asking, "Wait, it went in? It went in?"

On top of that, he had Jackson, a fellow everyman and friend by his side, guiding him the whole way.

"A lot of fans saw themselves in that story," Jackson says. "We resonated with a lot of people because we're normal guys."

That extended to the afterparty, when Jackson's reaction to his 7% cut of the winnings – easily among the most a club pro has ever won in a single tournament – got a lot of attention on social media.

"Such a cool moment between Michael Block and caddy John Jackson," CBS Sports tweeted. "Jackson did the math on what his paycheck will be from this week. Their reaction is priceless. $20,183.31.”

CSUMB's head golf coach, Jason Owen, watched every single shot Jackson took in leading the Otters to the 2010-11 Division II National Championship, so he's familiar with his resolve under pressure.

"John's biggest asset is his demeanor," Owen says. "He's very even-keeled. He's never going to get down. He'll celebrate the highs, but he'll keep you doing the work."

Jackson believes something he and Block did all week can apply beyond the golf course. 

"We talked a lot about tempo," Jackson says. "It related to how we walked from the house to the car, the car to the clubhouse, the clubhouse to the driving range, everything from the beginning of the day to the end – not stressing, not going about things too quickly, keeping the exact same routine, from the putting green, working on his short game straight to the tee. It's about finding a routine that works for you and sticking to it, through good days or bad."

Since the tournament, Jackson has been flooded with calls, direct messages and requests to caddy for golfers at Spyglass Hill in Pebble Beach where he works. 

"This hasn't been the first interview," he says, laughing. "I got 300 text messages after the final round. It's been insane. It's been fun."

Coach Owen doesn't sound surprised that across whatever adventure arrives, Jackson's composure doesn't shift.

"As a player, and now as a caddy, he was never going to be rattled by any situation," Owen says. "No matter how big it was."