A legend in the game! Yes, we are talking about none other than Tiger Woods who has raked in so many accolades over his career. Moreover, he managed to make a comeback despite the accident and the subsequent surgeries that kept him away from the sport. However, it appears the 15-time major champion might soon stop playing the sport. It’s not us, but Joe LaCava himself, who said this.
The bagman moved to caddy for 31-year-old Patrick Cantlay following his ex-boss taking a break from the game. Case in point: LaCava, in an interview, recounted a conversation he had with Woods a couple of years ago, all the while indicating how the 48-year-old might not have that much time left in his professional career.
Is Tiger Woods’s 27-year-long career coming to an end?
In his talk, during an episode of Quiet Please by Hurrdat Sports, the bagman revealed how the 15-time major champ, for a couple of years, had been encouraging him to look for work “like Fred [Couples] did at the end of his career.” He recounted how the athlete said, “I don’t know how much… when… how often I’m gonna play,” while letting him know how he can play with someone else if the opportunity arises.
Although the caddie initially declined since he was content owing to Woods treating him well, he disclosed how he “wanted to get back in the game” after a couple of years of “not doing a whole lot.” The looper went ahead to mention how one can only stay still for so long. Now, enter Cantlay, who, surprisingly, asked the baggie if he would be “interested in caddying” for him “full-time on the tour,” to which he said yes to the “good young, healthy player.”
The 69-year-old had been working with the 82-time PGA Tour champ for over 12 years, helping him win 11 times, including a major in 2019. Despite a wonderful partnership, Mr. T‘s not playing full-time, coupled with the accident and the break, pushed LaCava to say yes to someone more active on the circuit.
The new alliance with the 31-year-old did become famous, especially after the prestigious Ryder Cup. The American had gone ahead to have a slight tussle with Rory McIlroy from the European squad.
The infamous LaCava-Rory McIlroy fight
During the Saturday four-balls against McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick, Cantlay managed to birdie the 18th hole, following which LaCava took to wave his hat around. However, he did so while stepping across the line of the putt that the Northern Irishman was readying himself to take.
Well, the rest is history. A tussle on course, a heated argument in the car park, followed by McIlroy calling Cantlay a “d**k” and then going on to change his stance, a lot transpired over the past few months. Who would have thought Woods splitting up with his caddie would indirectly lead to so much drama?!
