Roy Lang Shreveport Times Published 8:15 PM EDT Jun 17, 2019 For decades the relationships between elite-level golfers and their caddies have been filled with mystery, intrigue and legendary stories (some of which are true). Thanks to technology and a focus on reporting every aspect of golf, many of player-caddie secrets have been revealed. In fact, it’s become one of the most interesting and volatile dynamics in sports. “Caddies have more golf experience – many are former professional or college golfers,” said Scott Gneiser, who has been on the bag for 12 of David Toms’ 13 PGA Tour victories, including the 2001 PGA Championship. “In the past, a lot of the caddies were club caddies who transitioned to Tour caddies. I could shoot in the mid-70s and I was one of the best on Tour when I started in 1989. Now, they’re breaking 70.” More: Cancellation of local AJGA event doesn't faze family that traveled from Thailand More: PBJ brings … [Read more...] about Technology helps unlock formerly secretive player-caddie dynamic
How are pga tour caddies paid
Matt Kuchar drama: What is a caddie really worth?
Eamon Lynch Golfweek Published 10:58 AM EST Feb 18, 2019 PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — What are you worth when you show up for work tomorrow? In monetary terms, the answer is usually pretty straightforward for most of us: We're worth whatever someone is willing to pay us, whether that's $5,000 or $50,000. Alert readers will note the "usually" and the "willing." The debacle surrounding Matt Kuchar's pay dispute with David "El Tucan" Ortiz has ignited plenty of commentary on the values of Kuchar, but not so much on the value of caddies. Part-Sherpa, part-psychologist, their contributions are often intangible. Caddies occupy a decidedly gray area not easily measured in dollars. "For starters, you're carrying the bag. They ain't gotta carry their clubs," said Mike "Fluff" Cowan, one of the few celebrity members of the caddie corps on the PGA Tour. "It's a second set of eyes, it's a second opinion. You're not always right. If we were right every single time, we'd want a lot … [Read more...] about Matt Kuchar drama: What is a caddie really worth?
Matt Kuchar pays stiffed caddie $45K more; whistleblower Tom Gillis applauds move
Tony Paul The Detroit News Published 5:51 PM EST Feb 15, 2019 If this whole professional golf thing doesn't work out, Tom Gillis could find a new career as a debt collector. Matt Kuchar, No. 10 on the PGA Tour's all-time money list with more than $46 million in on-course earnings not including millions more in endorsements, said Friday afternoon that he will pay an additional $45,000 to the caddie who helped lead him to victory in Mexico in November. It brings to end a six-week firestorm that was instigated by Lake Orion's Gillis, a Champions Tour player, who blew the whistle on Kuchar's frugal payout of local caddie David "El Tucan" Ortiz, who carried the bag and helped lead Kuchar to the title at the Mayakoba Classic in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Loopergate is over. "I knew what was right. The whole thing was right vs. wrong," Gillis told The News on Friday, while he was on the practice range in Florida. "It wasn't about smearing Matt. It was, 'That's wrong, and … [Read more...] about Matt Kuchar pays stiffed caddie $45K more; whistleblower Tom Gillis applauds move
Kuchar wrong to stiff caddie, but vilification of golfer wrong too
Sports By Greg Cote Tribune News Service | Friday, February 15, 2019, 12:05 a.m. Share this story At a Miami Heat game in 2015, while in town for a golf tournament, Matt Kuchar took a half-court shot during a halftime charity event. If he made it, $25,000 would be donated to the United Way. He missed. Later, without fanfare, he wrote a personal check for that amount and gave it to the organization. In 2018, Kuchar’s financial support of Camp Twin Lakes in Georgia allowed 90 children with disabilities, serious illnesses and other life challenges to enjoy a week of therapeutic camping experiences. ADVERTISING None of that matters now, apparently. The tsunami of derision has taken over. Anger and ridicule have flipped the narrative on Kuchar. Social media has delighted in shaming him, because that’s what social media does — and with especially sharp vigor when the target is rich or famous. So, now and perhaps forever more, Kuchar is: The … [Read more...] about Kuchar wrong to stiff caddie, but vilification of golfer wrong too
Ryder Cup primer: Everything you need to know
Dan McDonald golfballs.com Published 7:13 PM EDT Sep 25, 2018 It’s time for my favorite week on the professional golf calendar. It’s Ryder Cup week, which means it’s time for players to compete for country instead of more bulges in their wallets … more teamwork than you’ll see in a whole season on the PGA Tour … and more passion from the fan base than, well, anywhere in golf. The 42nd Ryder Cup matches begin Friday at the Albatros Course of Le Golf National in Guyancourt, France, a suburb southwest of Paris. Remarkably, it’s only the second time in its history that the Ryder Cup is being staged on the main continent in Europe, with all but the 1997 matches in Spain previously held on courses on the British Isles. For those who need, here’s a quick Ryder Cup primer: » The Ryder Cup is a match-play event inaugurated in 1927 and held every other year, pitting 12-man teams representing the U.S. and Europe. For many years the teams … [Read more...] about Ryder Cup primer: Everything you need to know