Phil Mickelson fist bumps his caddie Tim Mickelson during the final round of the 2023 Masters. | Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
In a heartfelt message on social media, Phil Mickelson expressed that his current caddy is retiring.
Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson needs a new looper.
In a heartfelt message on social media Tuesday morning, Mickelson said that his brother, Tim, who had also served as his caddy, is retiring.
Tim has caddied for Phil since 2017, when the three-time Masters winner split from Jim “Bones” MacKay. The Mickelson brothers have had plenty of success since, including their historic victory in 2021, when Phil became the oldest major champion at Kiawah Island. He bested Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen by two shots to claim his second PGA Championship title.
I’ve had some great accomplishments in my career and getting to share them with my brother Tim has been beyond special. I’m very lucky to have had him on the bag for me the past eight years and as my brother for life.
So much has changed since he was single and we started… pic.twitter.com/BvGORzyelm
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) March 26, 2024
“I’ve had some great accomplishments in my career, and getting to share them with my brother Tim has been beyond special. I’m very lucky to have had him on the bag for me the past eight years and as my brother for life,” Mickelson posted on X.
“So much has changed since he was single and we started working together. He’s found his life partner, Maranda, they’ve had their second son, and hopefully their family will continue to grow. While Tim is retiring from caddying, I’ll always cherish the many great moments we’ve shared on the course and I look forward to many more special moments off the course too.”
Before caddying for brother Phil, Tim served as the golf coach at Arizona State, guiding Jon Rahm to becoming one of the best amateur players in the world. He then became Rahm’s agent after he turned pro in 2016.
Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Phil Mickelson and brother Tim at the 2023 Masters.
That stint lasted a year, as Tim became Phil’s full-time looper in the summer of 2017. Their first tournament together was the Greenbrier Classic that July, and their last was at LIV Golf—Hong Kong earlier this month.
But now Tim will miss out on looping once again at Augusta National, where his brother Phil fired one of the best rounds of his career a year ago. Mickelson shot a final round 7-under 65 to soar up the leaderboard and finish in a tie for second alongside Koepka.
Phil has yet to announce a replacement for his brother, but surely, the golfing world will know who it will be before Augusta in two weeks.
LIV Golf will stage an event at Trump National Doral in Miami the week before. Mickelson will play, and all eyes will be on who will carry his bag in South Florida.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
