Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay got caddie present after Phil – Sports News
After years of partnership with Phil Mickelson, during which he skilled quite a few near-misses at main wins, caddie Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay savored his second within the highlight with Justin Thomas’ PGA Championship win.
Mackay, who helped Mickelson develop into a main determine in golf for many years, celebrated successful the key alongside Thomas in 2022. Before final 12 months’s Masters, the pair unexpectedly parted methods.
Caddies historically keep the 18th-hole flag from their victories on the PGA Tour and majors, however Mackay by no means got this honor whereas working with Mickelson, as revealed by biographer Alan Shipnuck. Mickelson, who not too long ago skipped the PGA Champions Dinner, allegedly had a behavior of retaining these flags for keepsakes as an alternative of gifting them to Mackay.
The caddie, who reportedly felt slighted given previous Masters winners’ caddies acquired the 18th-hole flag, was disillusioned even when Mickelson despatched him the flags amid their breakup, with Shipnuck noting they have been signed in “comically large letters.”
The 2022 PGA Championship marked a turning level, nonetheless, as Mackay might lastly declare a coveted memento from his work with Thomas. During an unimaginable last spherical at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Thomas fought back from seven pictures behind to drive a playoff and best Will Zalatoris, incomes his second main championship after his initial PGA Championship victory in 2017.
They began their collaboration in 2021, and upon his triumph, Thomas instantly acknowledged Mackay’s pivotal function and advice, importantly during the essential Saturday evening dialog earlier than his last spherical that clinched the championship.
“I’m fully confident in saying that I wouldn’t be standing here if he didn’t give me that – wasn’t necessarily a speech, but a talk, if you will,” Thomas mentioned after his spherical. “I just needed to let some steam out.
“I did not need to deliver my frustration and anger home with me. I did not need to depart the golf course in a detrimental body of thoughts. I simply went down – I performed fairly nicely yesterday for taking pictures 4-over, and I felt like I’d performed horrible.
“And he was just like, ‘Dude, you’ve got to stop being so hard on yourself. You’re in contention every single week we’re playing.'”
This victory was significantly momentous for Mackay, marking his first main title since parting methods with Mickelson. When Thomas conquered Zalatoris, an emotional Mackay was awarded a flag.
“If I was ever going to caddie again, this was the time, and without question, this was the player,” Mackay mentioned.”My wife will tell you – the person I said from the get-go that I would leave for, if the opportunity arose, was Justin Thomas.”
The subsequent shot at glory awaits on the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, which is because of conclude this Sunday.
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