Posted on 05/02/2023 11:40:00 AM PDT by FLNittany
July 13, 2012; Lake Orion, MI, USA; Lance Ten Broeck (USA) tees off on the 10th hole during the second round of the U.S. Senior Open at Indianwood Golf and Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Lance Ten Broeck, one of the more colorful characters on the PGA Tour who became famous for playing and caddying in the same event, died Sunday at St. Mary’s Hospital in West Palm Beach. He was 67.
The cause of death was organ failure, his son, Jonathan, said Monday. Ten Broeck, a Singer Island resident, had been dealing with health issues for two years.
Nicknamed “Last Call Lance,” Ten Broeck joined the PGA Tour in 1980 and enjoyed modest success for 15 years. Needing money, in 1999 he transitioned into becoming a caddie when his buddy, Jesper Parnevik, offered him a job. They won their first tournament together in Greensboro and would win three more times.
“I was half-kidding when I asked him to caddie for me at a family barbeque,” Parnevik said Monday. “He was one of the great characters in golf. Wherever we traveled and played, he had friends in every city and corner of the world. Everybody was always happy to see him.”
Ten Broeck is best remembered for pulling double-duty at the 2009 Texas Open. Because he had made more than 150 career cuts on the PGA Tour, Ten Broeck was eligible to play in a tour event if a spot opened late and there was no alternate on site.
That’s what happened at the Texas Open. After caddying for Parnevik in the morning, Ten Broeck found out a spot had opened. He went to a nearby Dillards to buy a pair of long pants, then went down the range to secure the rest of the equipment.
He borrowed Richard S. Johnson’s clubs, Tag Ridings’ putter, David Duval’s shoes, Lee Janzen’s glove and Parnevik’s used golf balls. Had Ten Broeck known this opportunity existed, he no doubt would not have consumed more than a dozen cocktails the night before at a nearby Kona Grill.
Despite the festivities, the rag-tag set of clubs and virtually no warmup, Ten Broeck shot 71 in the first round to beat his boss. The next day, using different clubs, Ten Broeck shot 70 with five birdies and missed the cut by just two shots.
“I guarantee you that will never happen again on the PGA Tour,” Parnevik said. “Nobody will ever caddie and play in the same event.”
Even in his late-50s and early-60s, Ten Broeck had plenty of game. He would routinely beat PGA Tour players in money games at the Medalist or Old Palm. He led the 2012 U.S. Senior Open at the halfway point, eventually finishing T9, and he almost shot his age with a 62 at a PGA Tour Champions’ q-school when he was 61.
Ten Broeck played in 355 career PGA Tour events, with 11 top-10s, 162 made cuts and $790,347 in career earnings – less than what a player makes for finishing second these days on the PGA Tour. His lone win came at the 1984 Magnolia Classic, but that wasn’t considered an official victory because it was played the same week as the Masters.
“I probably didn’t have enough confidence, but it’s hard to have confidence when you’re not playing well,” Ten Broeck said in 2019. “And when I played badly, I didn’t want to play.”
Caddie for Ernie Els the last two years
Ten Broeck had been caddying for Hall of Famer Ernie Els of Palm Beach Gardens on the PGA Tour Champions the last two years. Els was the one who broke the news of Ten Broeck’s death Sunday night after Els finished sixth at the Insperity Invitational in Houston.
“I loved Lance like a brother,” Els told golf writer Jeff Rude. “He was an old-school legend.”
Ten Broeck grew up on the south side of Chicago, the youngest of eight children in a Catholic family. He was introduced to the game by his father, Willis, and quickly became proficient. He played collegiately at Texas before turning professional in 1977.
“My dad came from nothing and made his way through golf,” son Jonathan said. “He fell in love with the game at an early age and from then on, he only wanted to be a golfer. He found his God-given talent.
“He didn’t make a Plan B, because God doesn’t make Plan Bs. My dad was an all-in or all-out kind of guy. He lived his life to the fullest or he didn’t live at all.”
Parnevik became aware of Ten Broeck’s health issues and asked him to return to his bag late last year to help him out. Their last tournament together was at a PGA Tour Champions event in Jacksonville last October.
“We had so many memories together, whether it was on the course or at the 19th hole,” Parnevik said. “He was a very positive, upbeat, funny guy. There are so many Lance stories out here; they are endless.” The legend of 'Last Call Lance'
Most usually revolved around his nickname. For the record, this is how he became known as "Last Call Lance."
Ten Broeck was playing in the 1980 Pensacola Open when fellow caddie Jeff “Boo” Burrell stopped by his hotel room before the final round.
“There was a guy sleeping on the floor in a bartender uniform,” Ten Broeck said. “Jeff said, ‘Who the heck is that guy?’
“I had gone to Rosie O’Grady’s the night before and I needed a ride home. I had to stick around for last call for the bartender to give me a ride home. So Jeff started calling me ‘Last Call Lance.’ ”
Caddie Eric Larson of Palm Beach Gardens, who visited Ten Broeck at the hospital last week, said he will miss “his humor and friendship.”
Jonathan Ten Broeck said a celebration of his father’s life will be held in mid-May in Palm Beach County.
RIP Last Call!
America was a lot more fun when we took ourselves less seriously. The country needs characters like LTB. God-speed, Last Call.
RIP to Lance. A double duty golfer. Prayers to his family...
It was summer and the restaurant just left the tap on when they were gone w/ a basket to pay. He thought that was the coolest thing ever. We had quite a few.
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