Spy caddy says he did not want to gain competitive advantage

Paul Fusco will carry Sei Young Kim’s bag again as a caddy this week at the Marathon Classic, a week after being booted out of the US Women’s Open.

The USGA removed Fusco from the tournament last week after the caddie was caught taking cell phone photos of “internal course setup documents” in the rules office two days before the competition. The documents included hole locations, alternate tees and footage from all four rounds of the tournament. The documents were on display on a wall in the office. A USGA spokesman said the caddies did not have credentials to access that office.

While the United States Women’s Golf Players Association, LPGA, says it “supports” the USGA’s decision, the American Women’s Tour has communicated that it will not sanction Fusco beyond her ejection from the U.S. Open.

Fusco has made a statement a week after those events: “Last week’s incident at the US Women’s Open was an unfortunate situation. I simply made a mistake, and while it is painful I have to accept the USGA’s decision. I had no intention of gaining a competitive advantage or creating a problem for the USGA, the LPGA or my player. I am grateful for the support I have received over the past week, and I am anxious to get back to work.”

For its part, the LPGA said in a statement: “We are aware that this was an unfortunate situation for both parties. We believe that the USGA’s decision was appropriate and have determined that no further sanctions are necessary.