Baker praised for his work as US Open caddy for Rock

Former MK Dons Player of the Year Carl Baker was praised by Robert Rock after making his major debut in America earlier this month.

The ex-Coventry City and Portsmouth man, who helped Dons to promotion to the Championship in 2015, caddied for Rock when the popular 47-year-old qualified for the US Open at Pinehurst.

It is quite a career change for Baker, who has only recently taken to playing golf, after hanging up his boots in 2023 after making more than 650 appearances.

After carrying the bag for Rock in North Carolina, the duo missed the cut on Day 2 of the competition. And despite it being his major debut, Rock had plenty of praise for his caddy.

“He loved it,” he told the Professional Golf Association. “He could tell when it was getting a bit tough on both days and he was great at reminding me that this was hard for everyone which is all anyone could say. What he did say helped and he could tell when it was getting important and difficult.

“For a rookie caddy he did really well and to caddy in a US Open at Pinehurst is quite a learning curve - he was fantastic.

“He was a professional footballer, so he's been involved in sport but here he got to see how serious golf is in the decision-making part of it.

“The real finer details make a huge difference to what you do and it's not always about how well you hit the ball which you might not appreciate from outside the ropes.”