In between playing golf and his work as a caddie, Adam Reny estimates he has put in somewhere between 800 and 900 rounds at Inverness Club. That should make him as close to an expert on the challenging layout as you will find.

The Start High School graduate is working the bag of Bruce Lietzke this week, hoping to help the winner of the 2003 U.S. Senior Open at Inverness repeat the magic. But it's conceivable that Reny could go the length of the four-day tournament without being consulted once.

"My job is to carry the bag and work in a support role, and only offer advice when asked," Reny said Tuesday as Lietzke prepared for a practice round on the putting green in front of the Inverness clubhouse.

"The pro pretty much defines the job, so you do as much or as little as they want you to do," said Reny, who hopes to soon caddie full-time on one of the pro tours.

RELATED CONTENT: 2011 U.S. Senior Open Fan Guide

Reny, who graduated in March after attending Ohio State on an Evans Scholarship, is doing an internship under U.S. Senior Open tournament director Judd Silverman. When Lietzke contacted Silverman for a caddie reference, Silverman recommended Reny, who has caddied for Silverman for five years and has worked Inverness for the last decade.

"I met him 10 minutes ago," Reny said about hooking up with Lietzke, who beat Tom Watson by two strokes with a final round 73 to claim that 2003 title, his first major. Lietzke, who smoked the Inverness tract with a 64 on Saturday that year, said he likes having someone with Reny's course experience as his caddie, but he does not expect to consult with Reny much.

"And that's just because I'm about the most low-maintenance guy on this tour," the 60-year-old Lietzke said. "I literally do everything but carry the bag because that's the way I've always preferred to do it. It might turn out that I ask him about a putt or two, but in terms of strategy and all, I trust my old brain."

Amateur qualifier Tim Jackson might take a different approach with his caddie, former University of Toledo golfer J.H. (Jean-Hubert) Trahan, who also happens to be the reigning club champion at Inverness. Jackson got his first-ever look at Inverness this week.

"It certainly can't hurt having someone who has played here and developed quite a bit of familiarity with the place," Jackson said. "Since I'd never played here before, any information helps. During the three practice rounds we'll play there will be plenty of opportunities to talk things over so that by the time the bell rings and we start this tournament on Thursday, we'll have it all set."

Trahan, a native of Montreal who has one semester of school left to complete his MBA at UT, said his playing experience at Inverness has allowed him to quickly develop a rapport with Jackson. Noted Toledo native and top amateur golfer Alan Fadel, a friend of Jackson, recommended Trahan.

"I think I gained his trust in the first practice round by suggesting some things that worked," Trahan said. "I feel like I know the greens and fairways here pretty well, and as a college player who has been in a lot of tournaments, I know what to expect. I enjoy the decision-making part of it and want to do whatever I can to assist him throughout the tournament."

Trahan, 22, hopes to make golf his career, either as a playing pro, a caddie, or on the business side of the sport.

Toledo native and Bowsher and UT graduate Jim McGurk has made a career of golf, splitting time as a teaching pro between Belmont Country Club in Perrysburg and golf courses in Las Vegas. This week he is carrying the bag of pro Vic Wilk, who is playing Inverness for the first time, but McGurk does not expect to have a big role in mapping out Wilk's shot-making.

"One thing I've found is that these pros learn on their own, and they learn pretty fast," McGurk said. "If I can help out on one stroke over the course of the tournament, that will be great, but I won't insert anything into the round until he asks."

McGurk sees his primary role as providing support for Wilk and keeping the pro relaxed.

"You'd love to be good enough to play in this thing, but this is the next best thing," McGurk said. "This is a big deal for him to be playing here in the Senior Open, so there's no need for me to try and be anything other than a real good caddie. I expect to tell a few stories, help keep him calm, and help him enjoy this tournament."

Other Inverness caddies working this week at the Senior Open include Paul Lynch, Derrick Creque, Kevin McNulty, Nick Reaper, Marguerite Johnson, Mike Hehl, Ken Mohn, Matt Wortham, Matt Mocek, and Megan Carroll.

Contact Matt Markey at: mmarkey@theblade.com or 419-724-6510.

First Published July 27, 2011, 7:16 a.m.