PGA Tour: Major champion in shock split with caddie

PGA Tour golfer Wyndham Clark has decided to part ways with his longtime caddie John Ellis, according to a report. 

Clark, 32, the 2023 U.S. Open champion, had been with Ellis for nearly a decade. 

The pair first met while Clark was at the University of Oregon, where Ellis worked as an assistant coach. 

Ellis became his full-time caddie in 2017 when Clark turned professional and was on the bag for all three of his PGA Tour titles, including a memorable win at Los Angeles Country Club. 

Clark withstood a final round charge from Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy to capture his first major title and dedicated the win to his late mother, Lise, who died of breast cancer in 2013. 

But in recent years Clark has struggled considerably on the golf course, tumbling from a career-high third in the Official World Golf Ranking all the way down to 67th. 

The split was first reported by Matt Gannon.

Gannon is reporting that Clark will have Dave Pelekoudas, nicknamed "Big Wave Dave", carry his sticks for this week's Valspar Championship in Florida. 

Pelekoudas is no stranger to Clark having filled in for Ellis before. 

What has gone wrong for Clark?

The split will undoubtedly be difficult for Clark to endure, considering what Ellis has meant for his career. 

Ellis, a former pro golfer, was on the bag for his wins at the Wells Fargo Championship, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the U.S. Open. 

They were tight off the course, too, regularly playing matches against each other.

But Clark's slide has been difficult to ignore. 

He jumped up to 13th in the OWGR after winning the U.S. Open and climbed into the top five for the first time in April 2024.

Clark, who is now 67th in the OWGR, has struggled to recapture his best form and hit the headlines for the wrong reasons over the past two years. 

He was criticised after launching his driver backwards towards an advertising board during the final round of the 2025 PGA Championship following an errant drive. 

Clark issued an apology, describing his behaviour as "unprofessional" but it wasn't the only outburst of anger.

After missing the cut at the 2025 U.S. Open, held at Oakmont, Clark damaged a century-old locker in a fit of rage.

It saw Clark banned from Oakmont, with his reinstatement contingent on fulfilling a number of specific conditions. 

GolfDigest reported Clark was told pay for the damage, make a meaningful contribution to charity of the board's choosing and complete counselling and/or anger management sessions before Oakmont would consider lifting the ban. 

Clark apologised again, telling reporters at the Scottish Open: "I made a mistake in a moment of rage with, you know, a bad year and everything coming together.

"And it was more than anything a good wake-up call for me to say, 'Hey, you know what, let's get back on track and things aren't that bad'."

Form this year

Clark has made seven six appearances on the PGA Tour this season. 

Although he has not missed a cut, he has only cracked the top 20 once (American Express). 

Last week, Clark finished in a share of 42nd place at the 2026 Players Championship after shooting rounds of 73-70-71-73 at TPC Sawgrass.

He is in the field for this week's Valspar Championship. 

Xander Schauffele is the highest-ranked player in the field following Robert MacIntyre's withdrawal.