Getty Image / Kevin C. Cox
Tiger Woods’ longtime friend and caddie, Joe LaCava, announced that he was parting ways with Tiger and moving permanently to the bag of Patrick Cantlay.
The 68-year-old Joe LaCava has been Tiger Woods‘ caddie since 2011 after Tiger split with Steve Williams. Prior to working with Tiger, LaCava caddied for Tiger’s close friend Fred Couples.
Tiger underwent ankle surgery in mid-April to fuse the bones in his ankle, after struggling through pain at The Masters.
Caddie Joe LaCava was on Tiger Woods’ bag for 11 PGA Tour victories and Tiger’s triumphant 2019 win at The Masters. With this split, some golf fans are wondering if this permanent move to Patrick Cantlay‘s bag signals the end of tournament golf for Tiger Woods after his recent surgery.
Joe LaCava has stayed with Tiger through a number of set backs through the years. Now he’s made a permanent switch to Cantlay’s bag, it feels like tournament golf is over for Tiger Woods. If this is it, thanks for the memories Tiger. It’s been emotional!
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) May 2, 2023
There will be a lot of speculation indeed:
This has always been the relationship between the two of them. Tiger knows Joe wants to work when he can. They have great mutual respect for each other.
I just hope this doesn’t mean Tiger is done. There will be tons of speculation.
— Michael B (@mr_balty) May 2, 2023
Patrick Cantlay comes into the Wells Fargo Championship as the #4 ranked golfer in the world, according to the latest OWGR standings. All signs indicate this is a great move for caddie Joe LaCava and Patrick Cantlay.
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
Joe Lacava taking over full time caddy duty for Patrick Cantlay means Tiger wont be playing competitive golf for quite some time…..
— Nick Peters (@NickPetersMN) May 2, 2023
Tiger’s agent told ESPN that Joe LaCava first called Woods and asked for his blessing. His agent, Mark Steinberg, said:
“Joe called Tiger to ask him and get his approval. Of course, Tiger gave it. Tiger and Joe are like brothers, tremendous friends. You shouldn’t read anything more in to that other than Joe wants to caddie. He loves it. It’s his passion. He’s great at it and one of the best.”
Tiger Woods’ former caddie, Joe LaCava, has quite the resume:
Joe LaCava is one of only 4 caddies to win the Masters with multiple players.
The others with 2:
• Ted Scott (Bubba & Scheffler)
• Steve Williams (Tiger & A Scott)The only with 3:
• Willie Stokes (4 winners)A win with Cantlay would enter JL into Mt Rushmore looper status
— David Gordon (@dgord_tweets) May 2, 2023
At this point, it is unclear when Tiger Woods will play competitive golf again. After undergoing foot/ankle surgery, it is highly unlikely that Tiger competes again this year. And prior to the surgery, Tiger had said he was only going to compete in the 4 Majors + the Genesis going forward.
An intriguing storyline to watch now is how the pace of play changes, if at all, for Patrick Cantlay. He has received intense criticism in recent weeks for his slow pace of play, something that has never been a point of contention for Tiger Woods.