Jim Bones Mackay got caddie present after Phil | Golf News

After years of partnership with Phil Mickelson, during which he skilled quite a few near-misses at main wins, caddie Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay savored his second in the highlight with Justin Thomas’ PGA Championship win.

Mackay, who helped Mickelson grow to be a main determine in golf for a long time, celebrated profitable the foremost alongside Thomas in 2022. Before final 12 months’s Masters, the pair unexpectedly parted methods.

Caddies historically keep the 18th-hole flag from their victories on the PGA Tour and majors, but Mackay never got this honor while working with Mickelson, as revealed by biographer Alan Shipnuck. Mickelson, who just lately skipped the PGA Champions Dinner, allegedly had a behavior of retaining these flags for keepsakes as a substitute of gifting them to Mackay.

The caddie, who reportedly felt slighted given previous Masters winners’ caddies acquired the 18th-hole flag, was disenchanted even when Mickelson despatched him the flags amid their breakup, with Shipnuck noting they had been signed in “comically large letters.”

The 2022 PGA Championship marked a turning level, however, as Mackay might finally declare a coveted memento from his work with Thomas. During an unbelievable closing spherical at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Thomas fought back from seven pictures behind to drive a playoff and best Will Zalatoris, incomes his second main championship after his initial PGA Championship victory in 2017.

They began their collaboration in 2021, and upon his triumph, Thomas immediately acknowledged Mackay’s pivotal position and advice, importantly during the essential Saturday night time dialog before his closing spherical that clinched the championship.

“I’m fully confident in saying that I wouldn’t be standing here if he didn’t give me that – wasn’t necessarily a speech, but a talk, if you will,” Thomas mentioned after his spherical. “I just needed to let some steam out.

“I did not need to convey my frustration and anger home with me. I did not need to go away the golf course in a unfavourable body of thoughts. I just went down – I performed fairly nicely yesterday for capturing 4-over, and I felt like I’d performed horrible.

“And he was just like, ‘Dude, you’ve got to stop being so hard on yourself. You’re in contention every single week we’re playing.'”

This victory was notably momentous for Mackay, marking his first main title since parting methods with Mickelson. When Thomas conquered Zalatoris, an emotional Mackay was awarded a flag.

“If I was ever going to caddie again, this was the time, and without question, this was the player,” Mackay mentioned.”My wife will tell you – the person I said from the get-go that I would leave for, if the opportunity arose, was Justin Thomas.”

The next shot at glory awaits at the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, which is due to conclude this Sunday.