PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – When rain moved through the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course on Thursday afternoon, play briefly stopped, and players scrambled for cover.
That’s when volunteer Richard Baccus suddenly found himself with some unexpected passengers: The golfers playing the fourth hole, which just happened to be Brooks Koepka, Tony Finau and Akshay Bhatia, along with their caddies.
So, naturally, the golfers jumped into the back of his van as the storm rolled in.
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“The weather was coming in, and they told us to pull out to our standby,” Baccus said. “About the time we got out, the bottom fell out. The golfers from the fourth green came over, we opened the back, threw them in, slammed the door, and waited.”
The group stayed inside for about 20 minutes while the rain passed.
During that time, the longtime volunteer worked up the courage to ask for a photo.
“While we were in the van, I sheepishly asked, ‘Can I take a picture?’ So I had Brooks Koepka, Tony Finau, Akshay Bhatia,” Baccus recounted. “I just knew I’d get in trouble, but they said sure.”
It was Bhatia who took the moment to the next level.
“Akshay was behind me,” Baccus said. “He jumped up in the front seat, and he was the one to grab the camera and start taking pictures.”
The volunteer says the players kept things light, chatting about the weather and when they might get back on the course.
“They had their own conversations going, but we were just kind of goofing around,” Baccus said. “They made me feel comfortable. I mean, I’ve got three millionaires in the van with me and it’s quite an experience.”
After about 20 minutes, the rain stopped and play resumed.
“The rain stopped, and I lost all my passengers,” Baccus joked.
The volunteer says he’s driven vans at the tournament for several years, but had never had players hop inside before.
“I’ve been a van driver for at least five or six years and I’ve never had anybody in the van,” Baccus said.
The photo from that moment quickly spread across social media - turning a routine weather delay into a viral story.
“I never thought I would be viral on the internet,” Baccus said.
Just another unexpected memory from a rainy day at The Players.