Justin Thomas will reportedly have Patrick Cantlay’s former caddie on the bag at the 2024 Masters after splitting with Bones, per a report.
Justin Thomas is going to join forces with Patrick Cantlay’s previous caddie at the upcoming Masters tournament as he has separated from Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay.
Per a report from Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis, 30-year-old Thomas will be accompanied by Matt Minister as his caddie at Augusta National.
The Minister is most recognized for his partnership with Cantlay, and the two had a successful run that led to Cantlay being named the 2021 FedEx Cup champion. Cantlay is currently being coached by Joe LaCava, who previously worked with Tiger Woods.
One week before the 2024 Masters, Thomas announced that he had ended his professional relationship with Mackay, who is 58 years old.
Both individuals have refrained from disclosing the specific details of their separation. In 2020, the pair began collaborating, and within a year, Mackay was offered the role on a permanent basis.
When Thomas approached him, he was having a good time working as a commentator for Golf Channel / CBS.
Thomas was looking for a caddie after parting ways with Jimmy Johnson.
Johnson and Thomas were together for six years. Thomas later emphasised that he did not sack Johnson.
“Jimmy came to me after the Ryder Cup and told me he has decided to pursue other opportunities,” he said.
To all intents and purposes, Mackay seemed as though he was enjoying life behind the mic and had no plans to caddie again.
Mackay later said Thomas was the only player he would loop for full-time after his 25-year association with Phil Mickelson came to an end in 2017.
Thomas has not achieved victory since winning his second major championship at the 2022 PGA Championship held at Southern Hills.
The golfer, who previously won 15 Tour titles, has now fallen to 28th in the world rankings and has at times seemed to lack the skills he once had. “For the first time in his career last season, he did not qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs.
He acknowledged that he was lucky to be chosen for the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy.”
Scottie Scheffler is widely expected to be the winner of the green jacket at the upcoming tournament. The bookmakers consider Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg, Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, and Rory McIlroy to be more likely to win than Thomas.