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The coach became the player and the player became the coach on Thursday when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith caddied for Jim Harbaugh at a PGA event in California.
As Tim Kawakami detailed in a San Jose Mercury News column, the coach and QB spent the day as golfer and caddie for the opening round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Smith raked traps, gave pre-shot pep talks and carried the bag for the coach who resurrected his NFL career. The only thing he didn't do was solve the hitch at the top of his coach's swing.
Smith has a family commitment the rest of the weekend, so Thursday was his only day on the bag. Niners quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will walk with the head coach on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The partnership wasn't as successful as it was on the football field: Harbaugh and his partner, PGA pro Ryan Moore, ended the day in 101st place.
Harbaugh realized having a famous athlete on his bag was unusual.
"Yeah, some people would say being a caddie when you're a superstar million-dollar quarterback, not everybody would do that," he told Kawakami.
The coach will make it up to him next year. They agreed that Harbaugh will caddie for Smith at next year's tournament, assuming they're not busy at a 49ers Super Bowl parade.
Harbaugh and Moore played in a foursome with Matt Bettencourt and Matthew Cain. The 18th-hole handshake passed without incident.
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