PGA Tour winners stand-in caddie set to receive | Golf News

Drew Mathers was confronted with a powerful selection at the start of final week: attempt to qualify for the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont, or caddie for his buddy at the Truist Championship.

He opted for the latter, a resolution that might show fairly profitable. Mathers stepped in for Sepp Straka after his common caddie, Duane Bock, was sidelined by a back damage and could not get better in time for the event at Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Course.

Having set apart his own ambitions to qualify for the yr’s third main, Mathers was proper there beside Straka as he clinched the title, edging out Shane Lowry, a lot to Justin Thomas’s delight. And Rory McIlroy was there proper after to give him a message.

The pair began the ultimate spherical neck-and-neck atop the leaderboard, but it was the Austrian who triumphed with a remaining spherical 68. Straka pocketed $3.6 million for his victory, and caddies sometimes receive about 10 per cent of the winnings.

While the specifics of their settlement are unknown, Mathers can doubtless look ahead to a good-looking reward for his help on the inexperienced. If it’s 10 %, Mathers can take pleasure in a healthy $360,000.

In an interview with CBS Sports, Mathers mentioned it was the “Easiest yes ever” to abandon his U.S. Open qualifying plans and probably hinder his own profession to support Straka’s competitors efforts.

DON’T MISS

Straka also shared how he got here to select Mathers as his backup plan: “Reached out to Drew, who I play golf with a lot in Birmingham. He immediately hopped on a flight and was up here ready to go. Very fortunate that I was able to do that obviously.

“I’ve performed a lot of golf with him, so I used to be very comfy being beside him. It was a lot of enjoyable having him on the bag actually.”

As Straka and Lowry approached the critical 16th hole tied, drama unfolded when Lowry misjudged a five-foot putt that resulted in a bogey, while Straka held steady with a par. A visibly disappointed Lowry ended up three-putting the 18th, conceding a two-stroke victory to a jubilant Straka.

Reflecting on his performance, Straka remarked, “I hit a lot of actually good photographs and made a lot of errors. I hung in there,” adding how he overcame early setbacks after the ninth. “I had a two-shot lead [after the ninth hole] and made two bogeys on the next two holes to lose it, but I stored the identical perspective and mentality all through the spherical.”

The second of triumph noticed Straka hugged by his pair of confidants, Bock and Mathers. Though Bock couldn’t shoulder the golf equipment, he confirmed help by making certain his presence at the 18th as they witnessed Straka secure his second PGA Tour win of the yr, along with a substantial £2.7m prize, following an pressing call for a stand-in caddie.