Justin Thomas confirms shock split on eve of The Masters
Justin Thomas will now have a new caddie on the bag at The Masters after ‘parting ways’ with Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay.
Justin Thomas has taken to social
The media announced that he has “separated” from his caddie Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay right before The Masters tournament.
“Mackay, who is 58 years old, began working full-time with Thomas, aged 30, on 30 September 2021.”
Before starting at Thomas, the person from Surrey who now lives in Florida had a job as an on-course commentator for NBC / Golf Channel.Ā Ā Ā After devoting 25 years to being Phil Mickelson’s caddie, that happened.Ā Ā Ā
Mackay and Mickelson went their separate ways in 2017.
Thomas and Mackay won the 2022 US PGA, which was Thomas’ second win in his career, but it would be their only victory together on the PGA Tour.
The former World No.1 endured a wretched run of form in the early part of 2023, but despite missing a number of cuts he was still picked as a wildcard in Zach Johnson’s US Ryder Cup team, which lost by five points in Rome.
But Thomas has once again fallen off the pace in recent weeks with two missed cuts in his last four starts on the PGA Tour.
Much of Thomas’ struggles have been on the greens where he currently ranks a lowly 169th in SG: Putting (-0.674).
Seemingly in need of a fresh start and new outlook on the PGA Tour, Thomas has made the difficult decision to part ways with Mackay just a week before the season’s first major at Augusta National.
Thomas tweeted:
“While incredibly difficult for me to say, Bones and I have parted ways. 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 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.
“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.”
According to Todd Lewis of the Golf Channel, Matt Minister will be Thomas’ caddie at The Masters next week. The minister used to be a caddie for Patrick Cantlay, who is a former FedEx Cup champion.
The news of Thomas and Mackay’s separation emerged one week after Mickelson announced that his brother Tim would be retiring from carrying his golf bag.
“Mickelson has chosen an experienced caddie for the upcoming LIV Golf Miami event and The Masters.”
