Who is Collin Morikawa's caddie? Meet Jonathan 'JJ' Jakovac

Meet Collin Morikawa’s caddie, Jonathan ‘JJ’ Jakovac, who aced the famous island-green 17th in the 2025 Players Championship caddie competition.

At Wednesday’s traditional caddie competition at the island-green par-3 17th hole at The Players Championship, Morikawa’s caddie accomplished what every golfer dreams of.

A hole-in-one on one of the most famous holes in golf.

The competition sees caddies briefly trade the bag for a club in a closest-to-the-pin challenge.

A hole-in-one had never been accomplished in the competition's 26th iteration until Jakovac stepped up.

Watch his ace here:

Jakovac is not your typical amateur golfer.

He played at California State University and individually won two NCAA Division II titles.

In 2004 he won the Jack Nicklaus Award for the most outstanding collegiate golfer in the US.

Jakovac was also admitted into the California Collegiate Athletic Association Hall of Fame. 

Following his amateur success, Jakovac turned pro. 

However, he never made it through Q-School and instead opted for a life as a looper. 

The duo joined forces for the 2019 sectional qualifying for the US Open, and have been a formidable pairing ever since.

Before working for Morikawa, Jakovac was on Ryan Moore's bag for seven years.

Since joining forces, Morikawa and Jakovac have experienced an abundance of success. 

Discussing their partnership, Jakovak previously praised Morikawa's mental strength.

He said:

"I’m lucky to have him. He seems like he has been there 100 times and he hasn't. It just goes to his mental strength and his maturity, and you add the freakish ball-striking to an absolute stone-cold demeanour which is very comfortable in all situations … and you get someone special."

PGA Tour star Morikawa has also paid testament to JJ after his victories. 

He called him his 'good luck charm' when he clinched his maiden major. 

Overall, they have notched up an impressive six PGA Tour victories, including two major championships, the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship. 

Their other wins include the 2019 Barracuda Championship, 2020 Workday Charity Open, 2021 WGC at The Concession and 2023 ZOZO Championship. 

While all of Morikawa's victories have been special, his Open Championship win at Royal St George's was particularly significant, as it fell on Jakovac's 39th birthday. 

To celebrate the day, Morikawa led the crowd in a heart-warming rendition of 'Happy Birthday', dedicated to Jakovac.

Away from the golf course, Jakovac is a big San Francisco Giants fan and lives in Las Vegas with his wife and their two sons. 

Jakovak's wife is the sister of Ryan Moore's wife. 

The two met when Jakovak and Moore worked together. 

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