Justin Thomas Splits With Caddie Jim 'Bones' Mackay
The 15-time Tour winner hasn't won since the 2022 PGA Championship and did not say who would be on his bag next week at the Masters.
A week prior to the Masters, two-time major champion Justin Thomas has decided to make a caddie changing, announcing via social media that he and veteran Jim “Bones” Mackay have split.
Thomas, who has not won since his 2022 PGA Championship victory, has mostly struggled in the past two seasons, last year failing to make the FedEx Cup playoffs.
He began this year with three consecutive top-12 finishes but missed the cut at the Players Championship—where he won in 2021—and tied for 68th in his last start at the Valspar Championship, where after tying for the lead early in the third round, he went on to shoot 79.
“While incredibly difficult for me to say, Bones and I have parted ways,” Thomas wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I’m going to be forever thankful for him joining me on the bag in 2021. The things we’ve been able to accomplish together—the PGA Championship in 2022, the Presidents Cup, the Ryder Cups, were all unforgettable experiences. His wisdom on and off the course has been a blessing during a tough stretch of my career and he was there every step of the way.”
Mackay, 58, who had a 25-year run with Phil Mickelson before they parted ways in 2017, left a broadcasting assignment with NBC/Golf Channel in 2021 to go back to caddying.
He had worked part-time for Thomas in 2020 and was with the player when he won the FedEx St. Jude Championship that summer.
“Caddying gets in your blood,” Mackay said after starting with Thomas. “I have to admit, I’m spoiled. I did it for a number of years, a long time for one of the greatest players in the history of the game.
“I think, more than anything, it’s those moments. It’s those weeks. It’s the Ryder Cup. It’s the Masters. The British Open at St Andrews. It’s Torrey Pines in beautiful weather. It’s just those moments. And there’s something to be said for the thrill of the chase. If you’re out here on Sunday and you have one of the last tee times, that buzz you feel as a caddie, at least in my experience, is one of the coolest things ever.”
Thomas, 30, who is ranked 28th in the world, has 15 PGA Tour victories and four on the DP World Tour. He won the PGA in 2017 and also captured the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup that season. He has four victories since the beginning of 2020.
Golf Channel's Todd Lewis reported Wednesday afternoon that Matt Minister will be on Thomas's bag at the Masters. Minister worked for Patrick Cantlay when he won the 2021 Tour Championship.
