Las Vegas' favorite celebrity caddie

"I said, 'Well, I'd like to watch you play.' So he said, 'Well, how about the first week of October, at the tournament in Las Vegas ? Wanna caddie for me?"

(Yes, there was a bet involved in their match, with Hellmuth , who claims an 18 handicap, getting a stroke per hole. Yet the sum that changed hands at the end of the round was miniscule, Pavin says. "He wanted to play for thousands of dollars a hole, but I didn't want to take all his money.")

On Wednesday, the two reunited for a practice round-cum-caddying lesson at the TPC at the Canyons. Hellmuth announced his on-site presence early: his first stop was the pro shop, where he bought a $2 tube of lip balm with a $100 bill, and tipped an assistant pro $20.

Pavin teed it up with fellow UCLA alum McCarron , whose caddie, Rich Mayo, coached Hellmuth through his first nine as a pro jock. But after they made the turn, poker talk dominated the conversation. The shift in focus was largely the fault of 20-year vet Blaine McCallister , who joined the quartet on the 10th hole.

"I'm a big fan of yours!" McCallister cried when introduced to Hellmuth . "Anybody who can talk s--- like you do and get away with it has got to be my man."

Hellmuth smiled, and flashed a sense of humor as strong as his self-confidence. "Are you sure you're thinking of the right guy?" he asked.

McCallister wasn't kidding when he said he was a fan. Hole after hole, he rehashed Hellmuth 's most memorable tirades, like the one that followed his loss to Annie Duke at this year's WSOP Tournament of Champions. "Let's see if I can get this right," he ventured. "'I can't believe she bleep-bleep-bleepity-bleeped me!'"

While Pavin snuck in tips on flag-tending and greenside bag placement, McCallister and McCarron rode Hellmuth hard, stressing how important it would be for him to subdue his loudness of mouth. The three cardinal rules of caddying, they reminded him, are Show Up, Keep Up, and Shut Up.

"That last one," McCallister cracked, "is going to be really tough on you."

Added McCarron , "You're only allowed to say three things: 'You were right, boss,' 'I was wrong, boss,' and 'You really got screwed there, boss,'" the last to be employed when a putt inexplicably fails to drop.