Phil Mickelson on the hunt for new caddie ahead of The Masters after brother Tim confirms retirement.
Golf legend Phil Mickelson has confirmed in an emotional tweet that his brother Tim is now stepping down from his bag having decided to retire from his duties.
Mickelson, 53, revealed the news about his younger brother on X / Twitter just two weeks before the start of The Masters.
It means Mickelson, a three-time winner of The Masters, is now on the hunt for a new caddie ahead of next week’s LIV Golf event outside Miami and the season’s first major at Augusta National in two weeks’ time.
Tim’s call to step down from Mickelson’s bag comes more than seven years after Mickelson’s split from his long-time caddie Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay in June 2017.
Phil Mickelson confirms his brother and caddie Tim Mickelson has retired
According to 45-time PGA Tour winner Mickelson, Tim’s decision to retire will allow him to spend more time with his family.
Mickelson tweeted:
“I’ve had some great accomplishments in my career and getting to share them with my brother Tim has been beyond special,” Mickelson wrote. “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 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.”
Prior to working for the six-time major champion, Tim worked as Jon Rahm’s agent, as well as a golf coach at Arizona State.
Tim, who is seven years younger than Phil, caddied for Mickelson during three wins, with the most significant being the 2021 US PGA at Kiawah Island where Lefty made history as the oldest major champion at 50 years and 11 months old. “He also caddied for victories at the 2018 WGC-Mexico Championship and the 2019 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.”
In the summer of 2022, Lefty made headlines by moving to LIV Golf for a reported fee of $200m.
Mickelson has not yet announced who will be his new caddie for the upcoming LIV Golf event at Trump Doral next week. Then he will focus on The Masters, scheduled for April 11-14.
Despite his current rank of 156th in the Official World Golf Rankings, Mickelson can continue to compete at The Masters indefinitely because he is a previous champion of the tournament.
Mickelson emerged victorious at The Masters in 2004, 2006, and 2010.
After his brother announced his retirement, who will be Phil Mickelson’s new caddie?