Veteran caddie Joe LaCava is off to work for current world number four Patrick Cantlay.
Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis confirmed that the 67-year-old winner of 28 PGA Tour titles has been granted permission by long-term boss Tiger Woods to take over the bag of other players, and he’s picked one of the best.
On the bag for @patrick_cantlay this week at the @WellsFargoGolf and for the foreseeable future is Joe Lacava who got the blessing from friend and former boss @TigerWoods to make the move to Cantlay. This is not a one off but a full time move for Lacava. pic.twitter.com/nAIMtmylpb
— Todd Lewis (@ToddLewisGC) May 2, 2023
Two weeks after withdrawing before the third round of the Masters, Woods issued a statement revealing he had undergone yet more surgery in a further attempt to be fit enough to compete at the highest level. The consequence of that, and the likely cessation of his season, meant LaCava needed to find other ways to pay the bills.
Having been a looper for 35 years, the previous handler for Fred Couples, Davis Love, Justin Leonard and Dustin Johnson was never to be short of offers. He got the call to caddy for Steve Stricker at the pairs event -Zurich Classic of New Orleans – a couple of weeks ago, walking alongside friend Brian Smith, the caddie for Zach Johnson, Stricker’s partner for the week, but was clear this was a one-time arrangement.
With Cantlay currently the talk of the town regarding some slow play at Augusta, the change from Matt Minister to a major-winning caddie could provide much improvement, mentally as well as the physical game.
LaCava has caddied for the six-time PGA Tour winner once before – at the 2019 Northern Trust – when Cantlay finished tied-12th, and will hope the new partnership has some similarity not only to the one he had with Tiger but also to the fortunes of Scottie Scheffler, who has won six times since taking on a fellow Masters-winning caddie in Ted Scott, including at Augusta in 2022.
As one of the most fancied players this week, bettors will trust the good fortune may well start this week at Quail Hollow, a course on which LaCava’s old boss Woods won the Wachovia Championship in 2007.
Article originally appeared on: Golfwrx.com
I am essentially satisfied with your great work. As Tiger Woods is out indefinitely after surgery, the longtime caddie moves to work with one of the top players on the PGA Tour.