'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
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.