Tiger Woods season looks over as caddie picks up new bag on PGA Tour
Tiger Woods' caddie Joe LaCava will permanently caddie for PGA Tour star Patrick Cantlay.
Tiger Woods' season would appear to be over as news has emerged his long-time caddie Joe LaCava will 'permanently' caddie for PGA Tour star Patrick Cantlay.
The looper of the 15-time major champion most recently agreed to work for Steve Stricker during the PGA Tour's team event - the Zurich Classic of New Orleans - which was won by Davis Riley and Nick Hardy.
It was there Patrick Cantlay reportedly split with his long time caddie Matt 'Rev' Minister.
Cantlay has now acquired the services of Joe LaCava on a permanent deal and they will immediately team up together at this week's Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club.
Rory McIlroy will be there but apparently he's still sulking.
LaCava had been Woods' caddie since 2011, and has been credited with helping Woods win several tournaments. Most notably, the 2019 Masters.
On the bag for @patrick_cantlay this week at the @WellsFargoGolf and for the foreseeable future is Joe Lacava who got the blessing from friend and former boss @TigerWoods to make the move to Cantlay. This is not a one off but a full time move for Lacava. pic.twitter.com/nAIMtmylpb
— Todd Lewis (@ToddLewisGC) May 2, 2023
According to ESPN, Woods' agent Mark Steinberg revealed more about the split.
Woods reportedly told LaCava:
Joe LaCava called Tiger right after he got the offer from Cantlay.
Per Joey, Tiger said: “You’d be crazy not to take the job. Go for it. Go wins some tournaments and have a great time.” https://t.co/vIiIG2f6li— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) May 2, 2023
One user suggested LaCava could potentially quicken Cantlay up after the golfer has been accused of playing far too slowly in recent weeks.
This partnership is hardly a surprising development, given the duo teamed up before at the 2021 Northern Trust.
On that occasion, Cantlay's caddie was ruled out with COVID-19 and Woods was still recovering from his high speed car crash.
Woods is still feeling the effects of that horrific incident and was forced to withdraw from the 2023 Masters.
Apparently Woods revealed quite a lot about his future in a chat with Jack Nicklaus during the annual past champions' dinner.
LaCava spoke of Woods' chances before the tournament began.
His worst fears were confirmed when Woods faced the prospect of having to play more than 18 holes in one day due to the inclement weather.
Before the tournament began, LaCava told the New York Post:
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LaCava's son, Joe Jr, is also a caddie. He has worked for his dad's old boss Fred Couples as a fill-in and currently works for Korn Ferry Tour pro Brandon Hagy.
Joe Jr was on the bag for Woods' son Charlie at the 2021, '21 and '22 PNC Championship.
Ben joined the GolfMagic team in September 2021, initially as a content executive.
These days, he assumes the position of content manager.
