'Makes all those years grinding playing golf worth it': St. Thomas, Ont. caddie wins PGA Tour event
Jace Walker was unusually calm heading into the final round of the Sanderson Farms Championship.
The caddie from St. Thomas, Ont. was on the bag for Mackenzie Hughes, who held a share of the lead going into the final round of the PGA Tour event in Jackson, Miss.
“We’ve been in the final group a couple of times, and it didn't go our way,” says Walker, who was about to board a flight back to Arizona for a week off.
“Most notably the US Open when he [Hughes] was in the final group. This time he was calm all day, and I think he just had this kind of overwhelming sense of confidence that he was going to get it done, so it was a lot of fun,” he adds.
Hughes had to make six key putts on the final seven holes — four of them for par — to outlast Sepp Straka on the second playoff hole.
It was the second career PGA Tour victory for the 31-year-old from Dundas, Ont. and first with Walker carrying the bag.
“He is just so tough,” says Walker. “Some of those pars he made on a back nine and just the ability to kind of hang in there and make those important pars or par saving chips is so tough.”
The win was the first on tour for Walker who has been caddying for nearly a decade. He was a great local amateur player, and tried the professional circuit, playing some events on the Mackenzie Tour in Canada before turning to caddying.
“You're kind of in there like a coach would be on a hockey team,” says Walker. “It kind of made all the years of caddying and grinding playing golf kind of worth it. You put in all those hours and all the work in this game and sometimes it pays you back.”
Walker became the second St. Thomas native to win as a caddie on the PGA Tour.
Brennan Little has won two major championships on the bag for Mike Weir (2003 Masters) and Gary Woodland (2019 US Open). They both were members at St. Thomas Golf and Country Club and it was Little who suggested Walker give up playing and become a caddie.
“It’s wild to think of our relatively small town,” says Walker.
He adds, “I messaged Butch [Little’s nickname] and gave him a quick thanks last night for getting me into this. He’s helped me over the years, and I still lean on him here and there. He told me ahead of Sunday to be decisive, and not waver on any decisions. He told me to have the answer ready quick and confidently, so that was a good tip.”
Hughes’ victory moves into top spot in the FedEx Cup standings, and gives him a two-year exemption on the tour and a place in all major tournaments next season.
Caddie’s typically take home ten per cent of a player’s earnings for a victory. Hughes took home the first place cheque of $1.422 million for the win.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.