Long Island's Duane Bock caddying for Sepp Straka in U.S. Open at Shinnecock

Sepp Straka was about to hit his approach shot into the ninth green during a late afternoon practice round on Tuesday when his caddie reminded him of something. “Hit it a little further right than you think,” was the advice, “and the slope will take it down.”

Sure enough that’s exactly what happened, leaving the Austrian golfer by way of the University of Georgia with an easy putt for a would-be birdie.

Duane Bock, who everyone just calls Dewey, isn’t the only caddie at this year’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills who could have shared that tip with his golfer. He and others of his profession have been out walking and measuring and sizing up the course here for weeks, scouring the grass blades for advantages. But Bock may have more intimate, instinctive knowledge about Shinnecock than anyone out there in any capacity when the 156 golfers and their bag men take it on for the opening round starting Thursday morning.

Having grown up in East Hampton and having played this course since the 1980s when he was a teenager — Dave Alvarez and Glen Farnsworth, the pros at the nearby Maidstone Club where Bock was working part-time in the pro shop, would let him tag along on their outings — the now 56-year-old is getting to share that lifetime of expertise as he tries to guide Straka to America’s championship.

“It’s just knowing the small things,” Straka told Newsday of Bock’s unique Shinnecock insight. “There is a familiarity that is huge.”

Bock never thought he’d be back here, at least not in this capacity. He was an accomplished golfer himself both on Long Island and at Campbell University in North Carolina where he currently lives, and he spent 10 or so years on the Canadian Tour before he made the career change to caddying around 2002, shortly after his daughter Albany was born.

“Of course the dream was always to be playing in the U.S. Open,” he told Newsday, “but this is the second-best job in the world. Number one would have been playing but being on the other side of the bag and caddying is the second-best for me.”

Bock spent 14 years working as Kevin Kisner’s caddie, a span that included their appearance together at the 2018 Open here at Shinnecock. Kisner was 12 over after two rounds and didn’t make the cut that year.

In 2023 Kisner took a short time off from the sport and Straka was in need of a temporary caddie for his upcoming trip to the British Open. He called Bock, who was on a plane the next morning.

“[Straka] wanted to get one tournament in here before we left for the British so our first tournament was the John Deere in 2023, and we won it,” Bock said. “Then we went to the British Open and finished tied for second there. So our first two events together were first and second.”

They’ve been together ever since . . . with Kisner’s blessing, which was important to Bock. It was Kisner who told Bock he should absolutely link himself to Straka’s up-and-coming career. 

The veteran golfer gave the caddie the proper read on that one. Bock was with Straka at the Olympics in France in 2024 (he tied for 35th place there) and at Bethpage last fall when he was playing for the Europeans in that Ryder Cup (a victory for them but at the cost of the Americans). Straka is No. 19 in the world rankings.

“He is always the same guy when he shows up, always extremely prepared,” Straka said of Bock. “He has his process and he follows it. He’s a true professional.”

Now Bock is with him back on the East End. He is spending the week at the home of his childhood friend, Michael Sarlo, the East Hampton Chief of Police, and enjoying the daunting hills and greens and fescue of Shinnecock that he wears like a comfy old sweatshirt.

“It’s always fun to come home, to see the familiar faces and some people I haven’t seen in years,” he said.

He also believes he and Straka have a chance to do something amazing here this week; the golfer was 4-over after nine but rebounded with four birdies in his second nine to finish the opening round Thursday with a 2-over 72.

The key to Shinnecock, Bock knows, is being able to hit the right spots on the greens through the wind. “You have to be on with your yardage and your distance control,” he said. “[Straka] is one of the best ball-strikers in the world. As I tell people, what makes my job so fun is that when I show up every week I feel like as a team we have a chance to win, whether it’s a major or a regular tour event. I’m excited about every opportunity we have and now, with this one here at Shinnecock. I think he has a great chance.”

Before they tee off on Thursday morning — they’re scheduled to begin on the 10th at 8:03 in the grouping with Alex Noren and Maverick McNealy — Bock said he might have one last piece of advice to whisper into the ear of the golfer he’ll be ushering through this potential four-day gauntlet.

“Trust,” Bock said. “Trust himself, sure. But also trust me.”

This week, on this course, it would be hard to find anyone in whom to do that more.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.