Fun at the movies...What's your favorite golf flick?

Who's your caddy?

My top three golf movies have one thing in common: The caddy steals the show.

In "The Greatest Game Ever Played" amateur Francis Quimet goes up against British golfers Harry Vardon and Ted Ray at the 1913 U.S.Open. Quimet's father feels his son should earn an honest living...away from the golf course, but Francis was persistent and entered the U.S.Open, anyway.

Quimet, played by Shia LaBeouf, is a long shot and is not expected to give the two professionals too much trouble. But the young amateur quickly becomes a crowd favorite as he plays himself into contention. The 1913 Open was held at the Brookline Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, and it just so happened the Quimet family lived across the street from the club, making Francis a hometown boy -- that, of course, excited the crowds at the course and around the city as Francis moved his way up the leader board.

Quimet's caddy, Eddie Lowery, played by Josh Flitter, keeps Francis focused as the amateur golfer heads for his showdown on the final day of the Open. Eddie is not much bigger than one of those jumbo drivers, the club of choice by the weekend golfer nowadays, but he has a big heart and he stays at Quimet's side to the very end. Director Bill Paxton saw to it that Flitter had all the good lines and I left the theater with a smile on my face.

In "The Legend of Bagger Vance" directed by Robert Redford, the caddy is the mysterious Bagger Vance, played by Will Smith, who makes sure the hero of the flick, Rannulph Junah, played by Matt Damon, stays on the straight and narrow when he battles the legendary Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen in a four-round, two-day exhibition match.

The match takes place in 1931 and I was quickly drawn in by the tapestry and the elegance of golf played in the 30s. Smith steals the show with his performance of Bagger Vance as did Josh Flitter in his performance as Eddie Lowery.

My third offering, is a more current version of golf. And that is Kevin Costner's "Tin Cup", a golf flick more familiar to Arizonans. Parts of "Tin Cup" were filmed at the Tubac Country Club in Tubac,while Roy McAvoy's run-down driving range was filmed near Sonoita, Arizona.The caddy in this one is none other than Cheech Marin, who plays McAvoy's sidekick, Romeo Posar.

If they were handing out academy awards for caddies, I guess I would have to pick Marin. He edges out Will Smith and Josh Flitter in my book. Posar has his hands full trying to keep McAvoy in line, but he gets the job done and eventually they head for North Carolina and the fictional U.S. Open.

 See all three, you'll be glad you did.