Justin Thomas will have a new looper on his bag when he tees of next week at the Masters. Thomas on Wednesday made the surprising announcement that he and veteran caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay have parted ways after three years together. “His wisdom on and off the course (have) been a blessing during a tough […]
Justin Thomas will have a new looper on his bag when he tees of next week at the Masters.
Thomas on Wednesday made the surprising announcement that he and veteran caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay have parted ways after three years together.
“His wisdom on and off the course (have) been a blessing during a tough stretch of my career, and he was there every step of the way,” Thomas said in a statement posted to his social media accounts. “I know there are great things coming for both of us down the road. I wish him the best of luck and will always count him and his family amongst my friends.”
Thomas, simply put, is not playing good golf right now. His 2022 PGA Championship with Mackay on the bag certainly was the highlight of their working relationship. Thomas has struggled since then, though. He endured arguably the worst season of his career in 2023, missing the FedEx Cup playoffs and needing Zach Johnson to make him a captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup in Spain. He hasn’t been much better in 2024. Thomas did have a pair of top-10 finishes to start the season, but he hasn’t finished better than 12th place since then, including two missed cuts in his last four starts, missing the weekend at both The Genesis Invitational and The Players Championship, two signature events. Thomas also missed the cut at three of the four majors last season, only reaching the weekend at the PGA where he limped to a T-65 finish, ending the weekend at 12-over.
So Thomas is looking for some sort of spark ahead of major season. Parting ways with Mackay ahead of the Masters, though, is a bit of a head-scratcher. Mackay is not only one of the most respected, accomplished loopers in the history of the sport, but he also knows his way around Augusta National Golf Club. Mackay was on Phil Mickelson’s bag for all three of the left-hander’s Masters wins.
If the decision is at all a reflection of Thomas’ satisfaction or lack thereof with Mackay, he didn’t let as much on in his announcement. The two-time major champion even shared a sentimental post of photos from his time with Mackay. While the partnership might not be working the way Thomas wants, his biggest issues right now probably extend beyond the player-caddie relationship. His putting has been absolutely woeful this season; Thomas ranks 169th of 183 players in strokes gained putting going into his start this weekend at the Valero Texas Open.
Thomas didn’t announce his new caddie, and it’s unclear whether Mackay will have a new bag for the Masters. Mackay has carved out a role for himself as part of NBC Sports’ PGA Tour coverage, so he could fall back on that if he doesn’t want a new boss.
