One of the US PGA Tour's top caddies was killed in the early hours of Wednesday morning after being hit by a taxi.
Steve Duplantis was in San Diego to carry the bag of Eric Axley at this week's Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines, but lost his life after stepping off a centre island and into the path of an oncoming taxi.
The 35-year-old was a well-respected figure in the game, recognised as much for his knowledge on the course as he was for his hard-living ways off it.
He worked with Jim Furyk in the early days of the American's career, helping steer the world number three to four PGA Tour victories before being fired for being late for work too often.
He then went on to team up with Rich Beem, guiding him to his first ever Tour victory at the Kemper Open in 1999.
Duplantis and his off-course exploits at night were prominently featured in a book titled, 'Bud, Sweat and Tees', which gave an insight into Beem and his experiences as a professional golfer.
Speaking after Wednesday's pro-am at Torrey Pines, Beem said: "He was the first person who showed me the value of a good caddie, which I now have.
"You felt comfortable with him on the bag because he knew what to say. He was confident."
Another man to work with him, Tommy Armour III, added: "He truly was one of the better caddies, that's why he kept getting hired. He was very confident with what he said."
Axley was so distraught on hearing news of Duplantis' death that he was unable to immediately make any comment to the media.
