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Current Tour Player Caddie Partnerships

Who do the world's best players have on their bags?

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Who do the world's best currently have on their bags?

A good partnership between player and caddie is essential for golfers attempting success out on Tour.

Here we run through a number of current Tour Player caddie partnerships including Dustin and Austin Johnson, Justin Rose and Mark Fulcher and Henrik Stenson and Gareth Lord.

Current Tour Player Caddie Partnerships:

Dustin Johnson and Austin Johnson

Austin is Dustin's younger brother and has been on the bag of the world number one for over four years now.

DJ took Austin with him twice to play in the Dunhill Links Championship and then employed him as his caddie at the 2013 WGC-HSBC Champions.

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Dustin won that event and decided to take his little brother on full time. They've since won nine more tournaments together.

Austin was on the bag for DJ's US Open win and told Golf.com how he didn't take the bib off for a week after.

"I didn't take it off all week! I washed it and got it framed, but I had to enjoy it first. I played golf in it, speared fish in it, went to dinner in it. Everything," he said.

Austin was crowned PGA Tour Caddie of the Year for 2016.

VLOG: Can a Tour caddie save you shots?

Rory McIlroy and Harry Diamond

After Rory McIlroy and his long-time caddie JP Fitzgerland parted ways after the Open last year, McIlroy turned to his childhood best friend Harry Diamond.

The pair met at Holywood Golf Club and played junior golf together. Now they're striding the fairways of the world's best courses together.

The partnership began at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the pair have had a couple of runners-up finishes and a third-place since.

Related: Who is Harry Diamond?

Jon Rahm and Adam Hayes

Rahm has been with Adam Hayes for over a year now.

The pair got their first victory together at the Farmers Insurance Open last year. Hayes, from Florida, has caddied a number of PGA Tour players including Russell Henley, Webb Simpson, Jason Dufner and Jonathan Byrd.

He was on Byrd's bag at the 2010 Shriners Open when he made a hole in one in a playoff to win.

Jordan Spieth and Michael Greller

Spieth and Greller have become one of golf's most formidable pairings in the five years that Jordan has been on Tour.

And interestingly, Greller wasn't actually a professional caddie before he met Spieth.

He caddied as a second job at local tournaments in the Seattle, Washington area - where he was a school maths teacher.

He first met Spieth when he caddied for him in the 2011 US Junior Amateur Championship at the nearby Gold Mountain.

Little did he know that he'd be on the Texan's bag at the following year's US Open and he'd be helping Spieth to winning the tournament in 2015 - as well as the 2015 Masters , 2017 Open and in 11 other victories .

Tiger Woods and Joe LaCava

Woods had Steve Williams on the bag for the majority of his career until the pair controversially split in 2011.

Tiger then took on Joe LaCava and the duo have been together since.

LaCava had been with Fred Couples for most of his career, including in his 1992 Masters victory, and even spent a large amount of 2011 with Dustin Johnson before leaving him to join Woods.

The veteran caddie of 30 years actually turned down a number of offers from players to caddie for them during Woods' 15-month injury break before the 2016 Hero World Challenge.

Woods said in an interview that he told La Cava he could work for other players, and his caddie replied, "‘No, no, I’m committed to you. I’m committed to your return and you playing golf again.’"

Justin Thomas and Jimmy Johnson

Jimmy Johnson has been on the bag of Justin Thomas since June 2015 and has helped JT to seven PGA Tour victories including the 2017 USPGA Championship .

Johnson is a veteran on Tour, having caddied for over 20 years at the highest level. He's been on the bag for the likes of Nick Price, Steve Stricker, Charles Howell III and Michelle Wie.

Hideki Matsuyama and Daisuke Shindo

The Japanese pair have worked together since 2013.

Shindo has been on the bag for all five of Matsuyama's PGA Tour wins, although he took the week off for the 2016 Hero World Challenge, which Matsuyama won, and lost out on around $100,000!

That won't have worried him too much though, as he pocketed PGA Tour earnings of $680,000 in the 12 months leading up to June 2017, according to Forbes.

Justin Rose and Mark Fulcher

Rose and Fulcher have been together for almost 10 years after their first event at the 2008 Players Championship.

Fulcher, known as Fooch, reportedly pocketed $720,000 in the 12 months leading up to June 2017.

Before looping with Rose, Fooch was on the bag of Laura Davies and guided Alison Nicholas to the 1997 US Women's Open.

Henrik Stenson and Gareth Lord

Englishman Gareth Lord is a veteran caddie on the PGA and European Tours.

He's been with Stenson now for five years after pairing up with the 2016 Open Champion in January 2013.

He had previously worked for Robert Karlsson, Luke Donald and Mark Foster.

Sergio Garcia and Glen Murray

Sergio Garcia and Glen Murray have had a near-20 year partnership.

The South African-born caddie has been on the Spaniard's bag since 1999.

The pair's finest moment came at Augusta last year when Garcia won the Masters in his 74th major .

Tommy Fleetwood and Ian Finnis

Fleetwood enlisted the help of best mate Ian Finnis in 2016 during a career slump that saw him fall down the world rankings after his maiden European Tour victory in 2013 .

Finnis and Fleetwood have been pals for almost 20 years.

They've become one of the European Tour's best partnerships over the last year, with Fleetwood winning three times including the Race to Dubai title .

Martin Kaymer and Craig Connelly

Craig Connelly, or 'Wee Man' as he's known, has had two spells with Martin Kaymer and was on his bag for both of his major wins and during the 2014 Ryder Cup at Medinah where Kaymer holed the winning putt.

As well as his two spells with the German, Connelly has had three spells with Paul Casey and also worked for Colin Montgomerie.

Related: Craig Connelly exclusive interview

Rickie Fowler and Joe Skovron

Fowler has had Skovron on the bag for his entire professional career.

The pair have had a great deal of success including four PGA Tour wins and two victories on the European Tour together.

Skovron says his best memory is caddying in his first Ryder Cup in 2010.

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Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook , Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!

Elliott is currently playing:

Driver: Titleist TSR4

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Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

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Ball: Srixon Z Star XV

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Tiger Woods’ former caddie claims his addition to PGA Champions Tour would be 'great boost' to senior circuit

As Tiger Woods prepares for the 106th PGA Championship at Valhalla next week, his former caddie Joe LaCava has dropped a major hint regarding the future of the golf great. LaCava thinks Woods could join the senior circuit and give them a massive boost.

Woods, 48, will be eligible for the senior circuit, the PGA Champions Tour at the age of 50. So, from December 30, 2025, the 15-time major champion can make a jump to this tour.

Woods had previously claimed that he will continue to play until his body can move. In the past few years, his time on the golf greens have been significantly limited due to constant injuries.

Speaking about him, LaCava said that he can see him (Woods) playing 4-5 events on both the PGA Tour and the PGA Champions Tour. The veteran caddie though claimed Tiger Woods is also interested in the career of his son, Charlie Woods and his daughter, Sam Alexis Woods .

I know he misses the game… I think he will test the waters on the senior tour and see if he likes it… It would be a great boost for the senior tour… He’s at an age where I could see him playing 4-5 events out here (on the PGA Tour), and maybe 4-5 out there (on the PGA Tour Champions)... I also think he’s interested in following Charlie’s career and also his daughter, Sam who might become a college soccer player. Joe LaCava said as per Charlotte Observer

#NEW : Joe LaCava suggests that Tiger Woods could tee it up 4-5 times per year on the Champions TOUR, in addition to the majors. “I know he misses the game… I think he will test the waters on the senior tour and see if he likes it. … It would be a great boost for the senior… pic.twitter.com/Yp0Z6xLqNG — TWLEGION (@TWlegion) May 9, 2024

Woods has been seen supporting Charlie during his tournaments and even put aside his differences with his ex-wife Elin Nordegren as they came together to celebrate his success along with his school team. As for his daughter Sam, Woods recently claimed that she will pursue a career outside of golf as this sport took him away from her during her childhood.

How is Tiger Woods’ schedule shaping up?

At the moment, Tiger Woods is set to take part in the PGA Championship next week at Valhalla. Due to his status as past champion, Woods was named in the playing field for the second major championship of 2024.

Woods’ next appearance after the PGA Championship will be at Pinehurst in June for the U.S. Open Championship. A week ago, he received a special invitation from the United States Golf Association (USGA) which he gladly accepted.

Apart from this Woods will also tee off at the 152nd Open Championship taking place in Scotland in July. If he stays fit, Woods can thus appear in all four major championships this year.

Tiger Woods in all the majors this year is a gift! Let’s hope the good enough health continues. First U.S. Open for Tiger since 2020. — TWLEGION (@TWlegion) May 3, 2024

He did miss the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship this year which casts doubt regarding his participation in the upcoming signature events such as The Memorial and the Travelers Championship. Only time will reveal whether Woods plays in this events as he aims to compete in 5-6 tournaments in a year.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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TPC Deere Run

Players 2024: When caddies take their biggest swing of the year

Mark Carens, caddie for J.J. Spaun, has fun when he hits his shot off the tee on the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass during annual caddie contest at the Players Championship.

Cliff Hawkins

PONTE VEDRA BEACH — When you exit the 17th hole through the tunnel that leads to the 18th tee at TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course, you leave behind a picture both serene and harrowing. On one hand, a pleasant vignette of green grass and placid water, rippled slightly by a salutary breeze. On the other, the vision of the impossible shot—the island green, the hostile water, like a fever dream from Pete Dye's warped mind, complete with two trees growing out of the white sand bunker in the background on 16.

On Sunday, this is where fortunes are decided for the contenders at the Players Championship. On Wednesday, however, it's also where their caddies hit their most important (read: only?) shot of the entire year.

This is the scene of the annual caddie contest at the Players: One shot only, 146 yards, with thousands watching and glory on the line. And a little more, too—per an announcement posted in the locker room, the winner also gets the donated player funds (sources say they dump whatever cash they want in a bucket at registration), an engraved money clip, a "framed hand drawn sketch by Casey Jones" and, perhaps best of all, a preferred parking spot in Lot 2. (As any Lot 6 media member can tell you, Lot 2 is prime real estate.)

At approximately 12 noon, the top of the leaderboard showed the name Julien Trudeau, which looks at first glance like Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada. It is not—Julien is caddie for Mackenzie Hughes, and according to Shotlink, his tee shot wound up exactly 10 feet from the hole. On the tee, Michael Cromie, caddie to Chris Kirk and a former college golfer like Kirk at the University of Georgia, hits a lovely high shot that stops 15 feet away, good in the moment for fourth place. It’s a tenuous spot on the leaderboard, but respectable. John Limanti (Keith Mitchell) hits a 9-iron that looks perfect, but stops short of the ridge and settles at the front of the green. Even so, Mitchell and the others give him a round of mock applause.

"I shanked it onto the other island last year," Limanti explains after. "And I might have club twirled actually. It was so close to a perfect shot, but it was a shank. I hit it into the bushes, and they were all over me. And I hadn't hit a ball since December. I came in with one swing thought, and I flushed it. I was over it, and I felt the wind come in, I was playing left to right, and I was like, I'm not going to back off, I'm going to commit."

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That sets the stage for Phil Reedy, the looper for Harry Hall. His ball follows the same trajectory as Limanti's, but has the extra kick he needs. The crowd wakes from its collective slumber to cheer his effort, and the scoreboard flashes the result: inside six feet. We have a new leader.

"A 9-iron," Reedy affirms. He’s been playing full time until recently, but now he's a full-time caddie, and he considers himself a born-again novice.

"I was nervous," he says. "I haven't hit a ball. I thought I was hitting in the water for sure."

Groups pass, caddies tee off. Balls fly hither and yon, and at one point a graphic shows that of 44 shots so far, 17 have ended in the drink. The birds cry out above the palms. Aaron Flener, looping for J.T. Poston, thins his shot and begs for luck.

"Work out! Hit the pin!"

It doesn't, flying instead far over the green. But Jordan Guilford, Andrew Putnam's caddie, tall and lithe, doesn't need to beg. He's carded a 67 once, despite just a year of JV golf on his official résumé, so he has the skills. Most caddies are using a 9-iron, but he opts for a smooth pitching wedge, and though he's nervous, an aesthetically pleasing swing produces a ball inside nine feet, placing him second in the competition.

"I was kind of thinking it would have to be a nuclear pitching wedge, just smash it, but I didn't have to," he says.

He's happy about second place—no winner of the caddie contest has gone on to loop for the tournament winner, so he's escaped the curse.

Phil Reedy is the man on the spot instead, and it's hard to imagine, when you leave just shy of 2 p.m., that anyone can beat him. But (some) of these guys are good, too. And someone does—Sean McDonagh, on Vincent Norrman's bag, throws a dart to 2 feet, 1 inch.

Vincent Norrman was victorious with Sean McDonagh on the bag at last year's Irish Open, but it was the caddie who claimed the title on Wednesday at TPC Sawgrass.

Richard Heathcote

Somewhere, Harry Hall breathes a sigh of relief; now, there's no curse between him and the Players Championship.

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President of PGA Tour Champions, Miller Brady, explains what it was like to pinch-caddie for Tom Watson in Japan

By t.j. auclair · june 12, 2019.

Miller Brady is a 20-year PGA Tour employee, who currently serves as President of the PGA Tour Champions.

But in the Tour’s Ponte Vedra Beach headquarters this week, he’s being referred to as, “the caddie,” or, “new caddie.”

And there’s a good reason why.

RELATED: 10 reasons why you should absolutely take a caddie

Last week, Brady was in Japan to oversee the Tour stop at Narita-shi. Over by the first tee for the second round on Saturday, about 15 minutes before Tom Watson was about to tee off, a rules official asked Brady: “Have you seen Tom Watson’s caddie?”

So, Brady and the official approached Watson on the practice green and asked, “have you seen your caddie?”

Watson hadn’t.

“For whatever reason, the caddie – not a local, but someone who flew over to specifically caddie for Tom – just wasn’t there,” Brady told The Caddie Network. “So, I said, ‘well, Tom, I’m happy to caddie for you today if you’d like.’ He said, ‘that’d be great.’ It all happened quickly.”

Brady was grateful that it happened so quickly. It didn’t give him time, really, to register that his first time ever caddying would be for a legend of the game, an eight-time major winner.

"Am I on the clock, Miller." 😂 You don't see this often. PGA TOUR Champions President Miller Brady is helping out @TomWatsonPGA as his caddie in Round 2 of Mastercard Japan Championship. pic.twitter.com/DUy21k8KPq — PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) June 8, 2019

“I’ve known Tom for a long time with my work on the Champions Tour,” Brady said. “It was raining outside, so after I said I’d caddie for him, I quickly put on rain pants and a hat and gathered myself to help Tom, including grabbing an umbrella and a bunch of towels. Along with helping him out, I viewed this as a unique opportunity as the President of the Champions Tour to experience something I hadn’t experienced. It was a chance to walk a mile in their shoes for the day, so to speak, and maybe gain the respect of more players and caddies.”

The round was a fun, if not achy one for Brady. And when it was over, Watson carded a 1-under 71.

Not bad at all for a first-time caddie pinch-hitting at the very last minute.

“I didn’t have to get any yardages,” Brady explained. “I primarily made sure he had the driver on the tee boxes, putter on the greens and that I was there for him with the bag to select his clubs. He got his own yardages. I wanted to stay out of the way… be with him but stay out of way so he could make the decisions he needed to. I’ve been around the game long enough to know where you should or shouldn’t stand, where to place the bag, be there to clean the ball and stay out of the way at the same time. I think I did a good job with that.”

He also gained a whole new respect for what caddies do on a weekly basis.

“I have more than an appreciation for what the caddies do,” he said. “There’s so much more to it than carrying a large, heavy staff bag that’s weighed down even more when you factor in the umbrella and the rain gear. It’s not easy, especially at Narita-shi. It’s a hard walk. My legs and back were sore. It was a one-strap bag, which might have been more challenging. At hole No. 8 of the day – 17 for us – I thought to myself, ‘huh, we have whole other nine to go when we get past the next hole.’ It was a long day, but a great day. It would be a great experience for anybody. It was enjoyable inside the ropes with Tom.”

"He's probably up there in the training room getting a massage." 😂 PGA TOUR Champions President Miller Brady caddied all 18 for @TomWatsonPGA in Round 2. pic.twitter.com/6T6ErRpILZ — PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) June 8, 2019

Brady admitted that Watson’s Saturday pairing – with Dan Forsman and Chris DiMarco – made things easier, too.

Forsman had his son, Ricky, on the bag, while DiMarco had his wife, Amy, looping.

“It was an enjoyable day all around,” Brady said. “I think when you’re inside the ropes that close, there’s a lot more going on than what you’d expect – especially from a caddie perspective. It’s not just giving the player a club or making sure the ball is cleaned, but properly raking bunkers if you need to, or making sure you have the pin flag at the right time. The pin flag goes to the individual whose player is closest to the hole. I found that you need to be cognizant at all times. You can’t wander off. You absolutely have to be paying attention.”

Throughout the day, Brady enjoyed plenty of chatter with Watson.

The 119 th U.S. Open takes place this week at Pebble Beach, where Watson famously won his only U.S. Open in 1982. Pebble Beach was a topic of conversation.

“In fact, we were flying back into San Francisco specifically so guys could go straight to Pebble, Tom being one of those guys,” Brady said. “He was going to attend I think the past champion’s dinner Tuesday night. I think he said there would be all but three living past champion’s attending. Tom was really excited about that.”

So, if the opportunity to caddie ever came up again, would Brady be up for it?

“Oh, sure,” he said said. “I love our Tour and our players. I’d be happy to help out if needed.”

T.J. Auclair

T.J. Auclair is the Director of Content for The Caddie Network and has covered professional golf since 1998, traveling to over 70 major championships.

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Steve Stricker and wife/caddie Nicki have proven a formidable duo on PGA Tour Champions

BRADENTON ― Steve Stricker said he’s lost count of the number of media members who have requested to hear the story of Stricker and Stricker.

“It’s been a lot,” said the 56-year-old Team USA member for the World Champions Cup at The Concession Golf Course. “But it’s all good. We do it because we enjoy being together and doing the whole player/caddie thing, as well as being husband and wife.”

On a course teeming with golfers and their caddies, it’s easy to spot Stricker and the person carrying his bag for the three-day inaugural event. He’ll be the only one planting a kiss on the cheek of his caddie at the end of a round.

It’s somewhat rare for a PGA professional to have a female as his caddie. It’s rarer still when that woman is the mother of his children. For Steve Stricker, that woman, Nicki Stricker, is both.

Now on top: In third after first session, Team International rallies to take lead at World Champions Cup

“I think it doesn’t happen a lot,” he said. “I think it happens more on the Champions Tour. The kids are gone and the wives are traveling anyway, they’re there, so it’s just an opportunity to spend more time together that way. And for a while, it was common for us, then we started having kids and then it took away from her being out here.”

The former Nicki Tiziani met Steve Stricker in the early 1990s while he was getting a golf lesson from her dad, Dennis Tiziani, at the Cherokee Country Club in Madison, Wisconsin. Nicki, a lifeguard at the club, went to see her dad, and there was Steve.

“You know that guy you met?” Nicki’s dad later asked her. “He asked for your number.”

About to begin her college career at the University of Wisconsin, Nicki waited three days to call Steve and ask him out. He said yes, and in 1993, Nicki said, “I do.”

She was a formidable golfer in her own right, winning three times the Madison City women’s championship before four years as a letterman on the University of Wisconsin girls golf team. But as the two grew closer, and with children on the horizon, Nicki knew it was time to put down her driver. She didn’t have the drive.

“I knew it would take us in two different directions,” she said. “I saw how much he loved the game, and I didn’t love it that much to devote that much time to it.”

Turning pro in 1990, Steve Stricker joined the PGA Tour in 1994. He ended up winning 12 Tour events, his highest finish in a major a second-place showing at the 1998 PGA Championship. In June 2011, after winning the Memorial Tournament, Stricker became the highest-ranked American in the Official World Golf Ranking. At No. 4 in the world, he topped every other American golfer, including Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Along the way, Steve and Nicki had two daughters, Bobbi and Izzi, the latter winning the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I girls golf state title. Izzi will continue her career at the University of Wisconsin as a member of the class of 2028. Mom just doesn’t want Izzi and older sister Bobbi, currently playing on the Epson Tour, texting dad every time they struggle on the course.

“Trying to find the balance of him having the knowledge he has,” she said, “but them being able to go out and learn as well, not just run to dad for the answers all the time. That’s probably been the toughest part just because they have to know when they go out there that they can trust the knowledge they have when they’re out there.”

Stricker’s 12th and final PGA Tour victory was in 2012 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. In 2015, he had a falling out with his caddie, Jimmy Johnson, and the two parted ways. Nicki, who had caddied sporadically for her husband since he turned pro, stepped into the void.

“Being a caddie is different for everyone,” she said. “For us, I think it’s more of a calming influence. It’s just helping him be sure of what he’s doing. He knows all there is, really. But if there’s a chance to save him a shot a round somewhere, that would be good. Otherwise, it’s just to be there to be whatever he needs at the time.”

Said Steve, “She knows me better than any other caddie. She knows my personality and my tendencies more than any other caddie would know about me. We live together, she’s got that insight to me that no one else has, and that’s why it works. We’ve never ever taken issues out onto the golf course and brought them home. Or vice-versa. It’s actually been very good in that respect.”

Since 2017, when Stricker joined the PGA Tour Champions, issues on the course have been virtually non-existent. He’s won 17 tournaments in that time, including this year the Mitsubishi Electric Championship, the Regions Tradition, the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, and three others, among them the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, the final event of the year. Six tournament wins and a record set for most money earned in one season, just shy of $4 million.

Nicki has been right there, lugging her hubby’s bag, through all the success. How much credit does he give his caddying wife?

“I give her a lot of credit,” he said. “It’s a team out there. All the caddies I’ve had throughout my career, I feel like they’ve been an important piece of the puzzle. Like she said, when I have her, it’s someone I’m very comfortable having out there and I enjoy having her out there and it’s a good relationship out there, so that means a lot when you’re overhitting a shot. That comfort factor you can’t put a number on, but you know that it’s very helpful when you’re out there.”

After Sunday’s final session of The Champions Cup, Steve will play with Bobbi at the PNC Championship Thursday through Sunday at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando. Nicki and Izzi will serve as caddies.

Like mother, like daughter.

Revised Sunday schedule due to threat of afternoon rain : 7 a.m.  – Parking lots open ; 7:15 a.m.  – Parking shuttles begin service; 7:30 a.m.  – Gates open; 8 a.m . – Morning wave (six singles matches); 11:35 a.m. – Afternoon wave (six singles matches) ; 3 p.m.  – Estimated completion of play. Broadcast coverage on ESPN+ will begin at 8 a.m. ABC will provide coverage from 1-5 p.m.

Sunday morning pairings : 8 a.m. - Colin Montgomerie (Europe), Steven Alker (International), Steve Stricker (USA); 8:11 a.m. - Stephen Ames (International), Jerry Kelly (USA), Darren Clarke (Europe); 8:22 a.m. - Justin Leonard (USA), Robert Karlsson (Europe), Ernie Els (International); 8:33 a.m. - Alex Cejka (Europe), K.J. Choi (International), David Toms (USA); 8:44 a.m. -Vijay Singh (International), Brett Quigley (USA), Miguel Angel Jiminez (Europe); 8:55 a.m. - Billy Andrade (USA), Bernhard Langer (Europe), Retief Goosen (International).

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Nicki Stricker is caddie for husband and PGA Tour Champions player Steve

Who Is Davis Thompson's Caddie?

D avis Thompson only gained his PGA Tour card at the start of the 2022/23 season but has already made something of a name for himself, having banked three runner-up finishes and five top-10s inside his first 50 starts.

But in the search for that elusive first victory on tour, the University of Georgia graduate recently switched caddies at the end of his first season.

The 25-year-old worked with Dean Emerson until the Wyndham Championship in August last year, with the pair's best result coming at the American Express earlier that season.

Thompson was right at the sharp end of the leaderboard in California and took Jon Rahm all the way but ultimately fell one stroke shy of a playoff after the American's long-range putt on the penultimate hole crashed into the flag stick but stayed above ground.

Who Is Davis Thompson's Wife?

The rest of the season was difficult for Thompson and he only managed to land two top-30 results before opting to make a change to his staff. At some point during the near-six-week break he took during August and September, Thompson called on the services of Joe Etter.

Thompson's new caddie Etter has been a professional looper since 2011 and worked his way up through Q-School before reaching the Nationwide Tour (Korn Ferry Tour) and finally the PGA Tour, teaming up with the likes of Chris Kirk, Harris English, and Patton Kizzire along the way.

His two wins as a caddie both came with Kizzire - the first was the 2017 OHL Classic at Mayakoba (what is now the World Wide Technology Championship) and the second was the 2018 Sony Open in Hawaii. But after more than three years together, Etter moved on from Kizzire and paired up with Kyle Stanley for a little while before making his way onto Thompson's bag.

According to an interview he did with the Caddie Network , Etter's favorite golf memory was watching Tiger Woods win the Masters in 1997.

In terms of his greatest memory as a caddie, Etter - who was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin and supports the Packers - said it was holding the clubhouse lead while he was Scott Langley's looper at the 2014 Valspar Championship. Langley went on to finish third on five-under after a one-under Sunday.

Etter did not play college golf himself while attending University of Wisconsin-Platteville between 1995 and 1999 and said Tiger Woods is his favorite golfer. In his dream fourball would be the 15-time Major winner plus his dad and former Packers (now Jets) quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.

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John Deere Classic: Davis Thompson’s sensational, historic first PGA Tour victory brings out the emotions

An unemotional Thompson won his first PGA Tour event at the John Deere Classic. Once it was official, he let those emotions fly.

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In his 63rd start, Davis Thompson can officially call himself a PGA Tour winner.

He carded a final round 7-under 64 to post a 28-under total and win the John Deere Classic by four shots over Michael Thorbjornsen , amateur Luke Clanton and C.T. Pan, who tied for second place at 24-under.

Thompson became the 24th first-time tournament winner at this event. He did it in grand fashion by setting the John Deere Classic’s 72-hole scoring record. Michael Kim initially set it at 27-under in 2018.

He stayed stoic all week long, but Thompson let the emotions flow once he saw his wife.

“Just seeing my wife means a lot,” Thompson said to CBS Sports analyst Amanda Balionis after his win. “I love her so much and so thankful she was able to make it. I tried to stay present all day. When that putt finally went in, it was a big sigh of relief.”

An emotional winning moment ❤️ Davis Thompson seals the deal with his first TOUR victory @JDClassic . pic.twitter.com/BNOHLLaYXO — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 7, 2024

Throughout his interview with Balionis, Thompson could not hold back the tears. He wiped them away multiple times.

All that hard work finally paid off for the 25-year-old.

“I’ve been working hard this year. It was okay for a while then I got going this last month and played well last week,” he said. “Tried to keep it rolling this week; was able to get the win.”

Davis Thompson is feeling all of the emotions pic.twitter.com/vBF7XY2NUl — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 7, 2024

The former Georgia Bulldog set the tone from his opening tee shot. He went five-under through his first six holes and added his sixth birdie on the ninth to go out in 29 shots. Through nine holes, Thompson made 120 feet of putts, and by the end of the round, he recorded 139 feet of putts.

His first birdie was over 44 feet, and at the par-4 5th, he made a 29-footer. The flat stick was on fire for him, as Thompson could not miss.

The Sea Island resident made an 8-footer on 10 for his seventh birdie. His one hiccup came at the 12th when he bogeyed the hole. However, that slip-up would not stay with the youngster. Thompson returned to 7-under at 14 when he made his final birdie and came home with four straight pars.

Throughout four days of play, he gained +18.694 in strokes gained total. He picked up at least two strokes on the field in all five main categories. Thompson led the field with 30 birdies.

In short, the former Bulldog put on a clinic.

He replaced the 2023 John Deere Classic champion Sepp Straka’s place in the Champions House and became the third straight player to win the event while staying there.

J.T. Poston won while staying there in 2022, Straka won last year and Thompson has now been added to the lore.

“No, definitely not,” Thompson said about not letting the tradition go, “I think I have to pay for the whole house now, which is unfortunate, but I’ll gladly write the check for that.”

Thompson became the 12th Georgia golfer coached under head coach Chris Haack and the 17th in the program’s history to win on the PGA Tour. This victory also gets him into the Open Championship later this month and next year’s Masters Tournament at Augusta National . It also vaulted him from No. 51 to No. 22 in the FedEx Cup standings.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

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Inevitable Scottie Scheffler succeeds again, wins sixth title of year at Travelers Championship

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CROMWELL, Conn. – Scott Scheffler Sr. looked over the 18th green, perched 30 yards left on a large hill that frames the stadium-style finishing hole at TPC River Highlands. Pacing back and forth, he anxiously and eagerly awaited what was about to play out.

His son, Scottie Scheffler, was down below, circling his ball 11 feet from the hole for birdie on the Travelers Championship’s first playoff hole. Tom Kim, who 15 minutes earlier birdied the 18th to force a playoff, had just bladed his bunker shot well past the pin and missed the comebacker for par.

Scheffler was 11 feet and two putts between him and his sixth victory of the season.

Scott settled into his ideal viewing spot, nestled between the side of the grandstands and a ShotLink tower. That crevice of viewing area, though, was the lone angle for a group of excitable fans lurking some 20 feet behind Scott to watch the proceedings.

“Hey, move out of the way,” one fan shouted.

Scott waved his hand to apologize and kneeled down, blocking his view in the process. He laughed and shrugged, realizing then that he didn’t need to see what would happen. He has watched a similar scene play out more than a few times in recent months. Those fans hadn’t. They deserved to see it. The sound would tell the story anyway.

“C’mon Scottie, hit it soft,” he implored.

Moments later, the silence broke. The roars reached a crescendo and sustained. Scott knew what that meant. His son had listened.

Scott jumped up, pumped his fist and looked back toward the clubhouse. Scheffler’s wife Meredith and their 6-week-old son Bennett were waiting inside until the tournament was sealed. Scott waved them up, then took his first look down the hill as his son hugged caddie Ted Scott. It was over.

Scottie Scheffler wins in a playoff at Travelers

Scheffler bested Kim on the first playoff hole to win the Travelers Championship after both carded 22-under 258 at TPC River Highlands. It’s Scheffler’s sixth win of the season. He is the quickest to accomplish the feat since Arnold PaImer in 1962. Three other players – Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Nick Price – have won at least six times in a season since 1983, but none have done it as fast as Scheffler.

“It was a great finish. This golf course produces a lot of those, you know, the exciting stuff coming down the stretch,” Scheffler said. “It was a lot of fun and I'm proud to be sitting here with the trophy.”

Scheffler has stuffed a Hall of Fame-worthy career into a matter of four months – winning four Signature Events, THE PLAYERS Championship and the Masters. He’s up to 12 career TOUR victories, all since February 2022. The dominant run is unmatched in this generation outside of Woods. There’s still a long way to go before reaching that tier, but Scheffler is on one of his own now.

Scottie Scheffler’s dominance continues to impress fellow peers

The world No. 1 does his best to sidestep that reality when asked about it. He’d rather focus on the process, not the results. Winning does not define him, even if the victories roll in at record pace. He has the luxury to ignore it. Everyone around him doesn’t. They are acutely aware. Wyndham Clark, Ludvig Åberg, Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala and Kim are painfully aware. They are the runners-up – those who played phenomenally but not perfectly – whose performances will be lost to time. Perfect golf is, by nature, incredibly difficult to cultivate. And to beat this version of Scheffler, you must be perfect.

“The elite level for you to win out here, it's very, very small,” Kim said. His mind raced to two three-putts, one on Saturday's fourth hole and the other on the eighth hole on Sunday. Those were his only two bogeys. They were the difference.

“When you're going against Scottie, who I know very, very well, I knew that today I had to play really good golf and I felt like I did,” Kim said.

Scottie Scheffler’s Round 4 winning highlights from Travelers

Scheffler’s really good golf is simply better.

Given that, it would be disingenuous to assert Scheffler is sneaking up on anyone. Those days, if they ever existed, are long gone. He’s the unquestioned best player in the world, and the gap is undeniably large. But there’s a certain quality to golf tournaments that can lull even the trained golf watcher into expecting a different outcome. At points early on Sunday, Scheffler wasn’t top of mind. He parred the first five holes while others assumed the spotlight. Cameron Young birdied his first four holes, pushing himself squarely into the mix after his Saturday 59. Akshay Bhatia and Xander Schauffele made early birdies to tie Kim, who began the day with a one-shot lead. Meanwhile, Scheffler was stuck in neutral. That’s nowhere to be at the gettable TPC River Highlands.

But just as soon as you’re convinced the inevitable outcome may not happen this time, that Scheffler may quietly fade, there’s a moment when it all becomes clear and any previous notion that someone else would win the golf tournament feels silly. That moment came about halfway through Sunday’s round. Scheffler broke the seal with birdies at the par-5 sixth and par-4 seventh to get to 19-under, tied for the lead. Then Kim bogeyed the eighth, and suddenly Scheffler held control. He never relinquished it. Within the next hour, every notable challenger stumbled. Schauffele bogeyed Nos. 7 and 9. Bhatia dropped a shot at the ninth. Young made a double bogey at the 12th and Finau rinsed his tee shot on the par-3 16th and made double.

Kim was the lone challenger who withstood. He bounced back with a birdie on the 10th and matched Scheffler with birdies on the 13th and 15th. But Scheffler also birdied the 14th, which proved the one-shot cushion as they headed to 18. Kim nearly delivered his 2017 Jordan Spieth moment with his approach shot, scaring the hole for an eagle and a possible walk-off victory. Kim converted the birdie and Scheffler narrowly missed a birdie of his own, pushing the tournament to extra holes.

We know what came next. Kim blinked. Scheffler didn’t. He hasn’t for months.