Kip Henley

MEMPHIS-Former Crossville golf pro Kip Henley is going through a bit of a role reversal this week.

Henley, the former Golf Channel Big Break winner and current caddie for PGA Tour pro Brian Gay, is swapping Gay’s clubs this week for another golfer’s – his own.

After a lot of thought, Henley accepted the automatic berth at this week’s FedEx St. Jude Classic that goes to the Tennessee PGA Section champion (which he won last fall), and tees off today in the first round.

One reason it took a lot of thought: Brian Gay has won over $1.4 million at the Memphis stop over the past five years, taking the title once. Henley knows he might be taking a substantial financial hit by not being on Gay’s bag at Memphis.

Henley won the Golf Channel’s Big Break II, earning the nickname Papa due to being so much older than the other participants. He had a go at the Hooter’s and Nationwide tours before starting to caddy on the big circuit. His partnership with Gay has obviously been a good one for both. Gay has become a Top 50 golfer in the world, and has won as much as $3 million in a single season. Henley has often said caddying is the second-greatest job in the world.

This is the fourth time he has played in the Memphis tourney. He qualified last fall by shooting 10-under for 54 holes at the Tennessee Section last fall.

In another interesting side note, Henley has signed up daughter Stormi Henley, a celebrity in her own right, to be his caddie at Memphis. Stormi is a former Miss Teen USA (2009) winner, who also advanced to the Hollywood round in this year’s American Idol competition.

She is a 2009 graduate of Cumberland County High School, and has now embarked on a modeling career in Los Angeles. Stormi won’t be a novice on the golf bag. She has caddied for her father before during some of his Nationwide Tour events, and advanced to regional play herself as a high school golfer.