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On April
8, 2004, the first day of play in
the Masters, Bruce Edwards lost his
battle with Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's
Disease. Anyone who knew Bruce also
knew the significance of this date.
In almost 30 years of caddying on
the professional golf tour, the
Masters was always his favorite
tournament.
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 Bruce
suffered with a progressive form of
ALS for sixteen months. When he was
diagnosed at the Mayo Clinic, he
vowed to fight the disease as long
as he could, and he continued
caddying for Tom Watson until
November 2003. He saw Tom through a
Senior Tour major victory at the
JELD-WEN Tradition in August 2003,
but perhaps the most inspiring
moment came in June at the U.S.
Open, when Tom shot a sizzling 65 on
opening day. The galleries cheered
equally for the golfer and caddy,
and cries of "Bruuuuce, Bruuuuce"
were heard on every hole. Though his
muscles were weakening, Bruce
continued to tote the 50-pound golf
bag up and down golf courses, 18
holes a day. Everyone who saw Bruce
carrying that bag, weakened by the
effects if ALS, was moved. As the
disease gradually took away Bruce's
ability to speak, Tom Watson's voice
grew stronger. Tom spoke out for
Bruce and the 30,000 Americans
diagnosed with this incurable
disease every year. Tom promised
his friend and caddy that he would
help find treatment and a cure for
his disease.
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 Bruce's career as a
caddy on the golf tour and his
relationship with Tom Watson became
the subject of a best-selling book,
Caddy
for Life, by John Feinstein.
It was the culmination of a
friendship that spanned decades.
John first met Bruce in 1981 at the
Memorial, the first professional
tournament John covered for The
Washington Post.The young reporter
approached Bruce hoping to pick his
brain for a few minutes. Those
minutes turned into a few hours, and
John walked away with enough story
ideas for the whole week. While
writing Caddy for Life in the last
year of Bruce's life, John, too,
became an avowed foe of ALS. After
Bruce's death, John with the help of
Tom Watson, developed The Bruce
Edwards Foundation, dedicated to
supporting research to find a cure
for ALS.
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 The primary fundraising
vehicle of the Foundation is the
Bruce Edwards Celebrity Golf
Classic, which has raised more
than $5.5 million. This event
features a “best ball” golf
tournament, dinner and live and
silent auctions, with all
proceeds going to the Robert
Packard Center for ALS Research
at Johns Hopkins and other
research facilities. John and
Tom are both recipients of the
“Partner in Collaboration” award
from the Packard Center in
recognition of their dedication
to raising money for ALS
research. |
The Bruce Edwards
Foundation is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit corporation with no
paid staff. All proceeds from
the golf tournament and
donations (direct and website)
go directly to the research and
medical facilities supported by
the Foundation. All donations
to the Bruce Edwards Foundation
are completely tax-deductible.
Click here
for a list of the Board Members
of the Bruce Edwards ALS
Research Foundation
Photo credit: USGA
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