want to get there Monday, or Tuesday?," he asked. I tell him that Monday afternoon would be great. That will give me time to relax Monday afternoon, then get to the course Tuesday Morning.
After we hang up, I start thinking that I need to call my caddie Zack and get organized for Tuesday. I have not talked to Zack the last few days. Before I call I reflect on all that we have been through the last few years. Zack has been with me for about seven years now, and he has hung with me through thick and Thin. When I first hired him, I was at the top of my career. I was playing well and I had one win before I hired him. Then had another win about a year later. So the first few years were pretty good, I was usually on the top of the leaderboard, making money and had promising career. But the last 3 years my game has deteriorated and my motivation has also deteriorated. There were times the last three years where I could not pay him his salary, but he hung in there. Life of a professional golfer is tough sometimes, and the life of a caddie is not piece of cake either. The caddies that are fortunate enough to work for a pro who is doing well and making money, then the caddie reaps the benefits of that. But if they are working for a struggling pro, then they have it tough also. A caddie works hard. It is a lot more than carrying the bag. They are out early walking the course checking out the pin placements and the course conditions. They are an advisor to the pro and help in so many ways. Zack is great caddie. He deserves better than me. He is not only my caddie. He is my advisor and my swing coach by default because I do not have one. He is big on health and nutrition so he is my fitness trainer and nutritionist. He also plays the role of psychologist. Somehow, I think he will be playing that role more in the near future, the way things have been going the last few days. But most of all, he is my friend. I feel bad that he has struggled financially the last few years because of me. There were times the last few years where I did not make the cut for tournaments and could not pay him. And the cuts I made, was not a very big paycheck. Typically pay for a caddie is a base salary of $500 to $1000 a week plus a percentage of the purse. Typically 5% of winnings for a player finish outside the top 10 place on the leaderboard. If the player is in the top 10 of the leaderboard then the caddie usually gets 10,% of winnings. And if the player wins first place the caddie gets 10-15% of winnings for. So a caddie can make some pretty good money if he is working for a player who is on the top of the leaderboard on the tournaments. But if they are working for player who cannot make the cut, or is low on the leaderboard and his earnings. Then the caddie feels the pain also. And the last few years that has been the case for me and it has caused financial stress for Zack. He has a wife and two small kids to support. His wife has to work full time and thankfully her parents help with the kids so they do not have to pay for daycare. I am pretty sure that Zack has given serious thoughts the last couple of years about giving up this caddie business and get a normal job so he can support his family. So this Masters win was not only great for me, it was really good for him. And I am more happy for him than I am for me. My paycheck for the Masters was $1,620,000. I paid him 15% which is $243,000, plus I gave him a well deserved bonus of $100,000. So he did well and he deserves it. I am so happy for him and his family. Tears come to my eyes when I think about this. I just hope that I can continue this ride. I hope that my game is at a turning point and I cannot start bring in some success for my financial life and his.
So I pick the phone and call him. It is good to talk to him. I have not talked to him in a few days. We have a good talk. We talked about the Masters. How I came out of nowhere with that eagle. And then those string of birdies. He said he has
After we hang up, I start thinking that I need to call my caddie Zack and get organized for Tuesday. I have not talked to Zack the last few days. Before I call I reflect on all that we have been through the last few years. Zack has been with me for about seven years now, and he has hung with me through thick and Thin. When I first hired him, I was at the top of my career. I was playing well and I had one win before I hired him. Then had another win about a year later. So the first few years were pretty good, I was usually on the top of the leaderboard, making money and had promising career. But the last 3 years my game has deteriorated and my motivation has also deteriorated. There were times the last three years where I could not pay him his salary, but he hung in there. Life of a professional golfer is tough sometimes, and the life of a caddie is not piece of cake either. The caddies that are fortunate enough to work for a pro who is doing well and making money, then the caddie reaps the benefits of that. But if they are working for a struggling pro, then they have it tough also. A caddie works hard. It is a lot more than carrying the bag. They are out early walking the course checking out the pin placements and the course conditions. They are an advisor to the pro and help in so many ways. Zack is great caddie. He deserves better than me. He is not only my caddie. He is my advisor and my swing coach by default because I do not have one. He is big on health and nutrition so he is my fitness trainer and nutritionist. He also plays the role of psychologist. Somehow, I think he will be playing that role more in the near future, the way things have been going the last few days. But most of all, he is my friend. I feel bad that he has struggled financially the last few years because of me. There were times the last few years where I did not make the cut for tournaments and could not pay him. And the cuts I made, was not a very big paycheck. Typically pay for a caddie is a base salary of $500 to $1000 a week plus a percentage of the purse. Typically 5% of winnings for a player finish outside the top 10 place on the leaderboard. If the player is in the top 10 of the leaderboard then the caddie usually gets 10,% of winnings. And if the player wins first place the caddie gets 10-15% of winnings for. So a caddie can make some pretty good money if he is working for a player who is on the top of the leaderboard on the tournaments. But if they are working for player who cannot make the cut, or is low on the leaderboard and his earnings. Then the caddie feels the pain also. And the last few years that has been the case for me and it has caused financial stress for Zack. He has a wife and two small kids to support. His wife has to work full time and thankfully her parents help with the kids so they do not have to pay for daycare. I am pretty sure that Zack has given serious thoughts the last couple of years about giving up this caddie business and get a normal job so he can support his family. So this Masters win was not only great for me, it was really good for him. And I am more happy for him than I am for me. My paycheck for the Masters was $1,620,000. I paid him 15% which is $243,000, plus I gave him a well deserved bonus of $100,000. So he did well and he deserves it. I am so happy for him and his family. Tears come to my eyes when I think about this. I just hope that I can continue this ride. I hope that my game is at a turning point and I cannot start bring in some success for my financial life and his.
So I pick the phone and call him. It is good to talk to him. I have not talked to him in a few days. We have a good talk. We talked about the Masters. How I came out of nowhere with that eagle. And then those string of birdies. He said he has
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