Most people probably don’t know who Michael Greller is. He definitely would not be recognized walking down the street or eating at a restaurant. He is really only recognizable when he is wearing his work uniform and, even then, people pay him little to no attention. Instead, when he is at work, everyone watches his boss. But, the funny thing is, his boss wouldn’t be able to finish his own job without Michael’s help.
Who is Michael Greller? Well, you would definitely recognize him when he is with his boss (in this photo by Reuters):
Yes, Michael Greller is Jordan Speith’s caddy. He has made $375,000 in the last 30 days. But it wasn’t always this easy. In fact, if it wasn’t for an act of service that he performed in 2006, he wouldn’t be where he is today.
According to Brian Costa in a Wall Street Journal article, Michael Greller went to the 2006 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship as a spectator. While there, he saw a player named Matt Savage carrying his own bag, struggling a bit. Mr. Greller offered to caddie for him for free and even though Matt and his family offered to pay him, he refused to accept any money.
Fast forward to 2010 and Michael Greller found himself on the bag of another top amateur. This time, Justin Thomas had received a recommendation from Matt Savage to have Mr. Greller caddie for him in another local tournament. A year later, Mr. Thomas was also recommending Mr. Greller to another top amateur—Jordan Speith.
Mr. Speith won the 2011 U.S. Junior Amateur tournament with Mr. Greller as his caddie. The next year, 2012, Mr. Greller also carried Mr. Speith’s bag for his 21st-place finish at the U.S. Open. Despite the fact that there were plenty of people clamoring to caddie for Mr. Speith when he turned pro later in 2012, he decided to stick with Mr. Greller.
Of course, the rest, as they say, is history. But imagine…what if Michael Greller had remained silent while Matt Savage had struggled through his round in 2006? He would likely still be back in Washington state, teaching sixth-grade math. Certainly nothing wrong with that life at all. While I personally love math and had some great teachers growing up, I think nearly most of us would trade a teacher’s salary to carry a golf bag and earn multiples more than a teacher.
However, Michael Geller had no clue in 2006 that his life would turn out this way. All he was doing was helping a young kid. He wasn’t even looking to become a professional caddie. Mr. Greller was paying it forward. And boy, did it ever pay him back. Our own payback might not be as great…but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t follow the example Michael Greller set for us 2006. Serve others and you will be rewarded.
You can read the Wall Street Journal article by Brian Costa here (subscription required):
Postscript #2: By the way, Matt Savage turned out to be quite a player in his own right. You can read his bio here.