RCW: From the office of ... Jamie Bermel

Photograph of Martin Laird
With four walls filled of reminders of his own and players’ success, one of the most significant pieces of memorabilia in men’s golf head coach Jamie Bermel’s office is a blown up picture of one of his protégés, Martin Laird. Laird is a current golfer on the PGA Tour and the picture shows the pro with a big smile on his face as he hoists a trophy in the air after winning the Valero Texas Open. Within the picture is added significance to Bermel, as another one of his former players’ names, Zach Johnson, can be seen on the trophy as he won the same tournament twice.

“(It’s) Just a cool picture that we got blown up,” Bermel said. “The significance here is Zach Johnson won in 2008 and 2009 and then Martin Laird won a couple of years later. Both of them had won the same tournament which probably doesn’t happen a lot.”

Bermel coached Johnson in his first head coaching gig at Drake University and coached Laird during his 12-year stint at Colorado State University. Since joining the tour, Johnson has had great success, winning the Green Jacket at the Masters in 2007, followed by a recent victory at The Open in 2015. These two major tournament wins are accompanied by 10 more first-place finishes. Laird has also built quite the professional resume, notching three victories on tour, including a win at the esteemed Arnold Palmer Invitational.