Posted 4/14/03 9:57 am ET

Caddie battles Gehrig's disease

By David Westin
The Augusta Chronicle

Bruce Edwards was an interested observer and listener Wednesday night as former PGA Tour golfer Jeff Julian received the Ben Hogan Award from the Golf Writers Association of America at Savannah Rapids Pavilion.

The award goes to a player who continues to be active in golf despite a physical handicap or serious illness.

Julian, 41, suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. He played seven PGA Tour events in 2002 while battling the effects of the disease.

Edwards, Tom Watson's longtime caddie, was diagnosed with ALS on Jan. 15. He will carry the two-time Masters champion's bag this morning as the 67th Masters Tournament starts.

Watson accompanied Edwards, his caddie and friend of 30 years, to see Julian accept the award. Edwards was seated at the front table with Julian and other award winners.

"I've got great support," said Edwards, 48. "I have an outstanding boss in Tom. I mean, phone calls and all the letters, it makes my heart warm."

There is no cure for ALS, a progressive neuromuscular disease that causes degeneration of motor nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

It was Watson who encouraged Edwards to see a doctor after Edwards slurred words and complained of numbness in his left hand in November. Both are symptoms of ALS.

Edwards finally went to the Mayo Clinic in mid-January and was diagnosed.

"I have to think I can beat it, don't I?" Edwards asked. "If I didn't think so, I'd wallow in my tears and throw in the towel. I'm not going to do that."

Two weeks after the diagnosis, Edwards told PGATOUR.COM, "I don't dwell in the negative. I never have dwelled in the negative. It was part of my job, and now it's a more important part of my life. If I didn't have a positive outlook on these cards I've been dealt, then everything I've done for 30 years has been a farce."

"His outlook has always been positive," said Richard Hansberry, who has caddied on the PGA Tour for 18 years and is the vice president of the Professional Caddie Association. "Bruce has just been a lively kind of guy all the time. Every time you see him, he's confident of what he's doing. He's a very optimistic person. I have nothing but prayers and hope for him, and I hope he can overcome that."

Edwards is taking a combination of more than 100 vitamins and supplements to try to combat the disease. The average life expectancy after diagnosis is between two and five years.

"You do what you have to do," Edwards said. "I'm trying to slow this down so I keep working for guys like Tom and keep doing what I like to do. I'll do whatever it takes."

"He's such an inspiration," said John Cook, who works with Edwards for PGA Tour events when Watson doesn't need him. "He's out there doing his thing."

After a round at The Players Championship two weeks ago, Edwards, who was working for Cook, was asked whether he was feeling more fatigued than normal after walking 18 holes.

"I get a little tired at the end of a round," Edwards said. "I don't know if it's more psychological because I know what I have and I'm starting to feel things and wonder if that's it. Who knows? I always got tired when I was done with the round anyway. Now I just walk a little bit slower, that's all."

Edwards has caddied in every Masters since 1983, the year the ban on non-Augusta National caddies was lifted in the tournament.

Edwards wishes the ban had been lifted earlier; Watson's two Masters victories came in 1977 and 1981.

Edwards has been Watson's regular caddie since 1973, with the exception of 1989-92, when he worked for Greg Norman.

"The Masters is my favorite tournament because of the excitement, and Tom can always play that golf course really well," Edwards said. "It's the only major that goes back to the same golf course year after year."

A fund has been set up for Edwards, who does not have medical insurance. Proceeds to the Bruce Edwards Trust will cover the costs of his treatments and medications. Contributions can be sent to David Enenbach, Trustee, 1901 W. 47th Place, Suite 200, Westwood, KS 66205.