Diana excited to help Kokrak

January 14, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

John Diana is a 25-year veteran of the golf business.

He’s been the head pro at Trumbull Country Club in Warren since 2000 and has played in plenty of amateur events since graduating from Eastern Kentucky University. However on Thursday, Diana becomes a rookie again.

He’ll begin a three-month stint as caddie for Warren native Jason Kokrak as the PGA Tour season resumes for the new year at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

“I’m extremely excited about it,” Diana said. “Jason was looking for a fresh face, a little change out there just to mix it up, and we thought it would be a great opportunity for both of us, so he’s as excited as I am.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what happens out there on a first-hand basis, instead of just reading about it.”

Diana got a feel for the process when he caddied for Kokrak at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Bay Hill a few years ago. He was amazed at the amount of resources some golfers had at their disposal for a single event, especially compared to the guy whose bag he’ll be carrying.

“Jason has done it on his own abilities and talent and it’s incredible what he’s done,” Diana said. “A lot of guys have a big entourage or sports psychologists, teachers — just every aspect of the game they have covered — to get them ready to play at that level.

“[Kokrak’s] talents are great, we all know that. But he has the ability to do a lot.”

Diana flew out of Pittsburgh early Sunday, connected in Chicago, and landed in sunny Honolulu, where he guessed the temperature was 80 degrees warmer. He plans to travel with Kokrak for at least the first eight events of the season while Trumbull Country Club is closed for the winter.

While Diana gets adjusted to life on the road, he’ll have more than one familiar face to fall back on. His brother, Henry, has been a caddie on tour for 15-plus years and has spent the last half with Charles Howell III.

“He’s been out there a long time and he’s been very, very helpful,” Diana said. “He’s been real helpful on the ins and outs of how to do it right and what to stay away from.

“If I didn’t have him I’d be learning it the hard way, I can tell you that. He’s saving me a lot of steps.”

Diana hopes to save Kokrak some steps out on the course this season. Known for his power off the tee that ranks him near the top in driving distance, Kokrak is still looking for his first professional win. The 29-year-old Warren JFK graduate recently switched from Cleveland/Srixon equipment to Callaway Golf.

Whether the changes result in wins remains to be seen.

“If he’s comfortable out there, he’s going to be a lot more effective on the golf course,” Diana said. “At his age, to get your first win, is just a matter of getting the luck and everything going your way.

“Who knows what can happen after a guy wins one and realizes he can do it.”