Under the Strap

In this week's Under The Strap podcast, The Caddie Network's host John  Rathouz is joined by veteran PGA Tour caddie Tony Lingard for PGA  Championship week at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla. Tony has been on a bag for the last three golf majors held at Southern Hills and has more than 40 top-10 finishes on his résumé, which has earned him the nickname Top 10 Tony.

In this week's 'Under the Strap' podcast, The Caddie Network's host John Rathouz was joined by caddies Neil Oxman and Herb Stevens, two old-school loopers who got their start as college kids back in the 1970s. Both Neil and Herb went on to successful careers outside of golf, but still enjoy sharing stories about their times on the PGA Tour with the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and more.

Handicaddie is an app that is modernizing caddying, and founder Graham Curry joined 'Under the Strap' to talk about his new business that was voted one of Ireland's best startups. 

Curry has been a caddie since he was a young lad and is currently looping at Kingsbarns in St. Andrews. He has made it his mission to understand the ins and outs of the business from every angle. The Irishman has plenty to say about the experience of playing golf in Ireland, including his favorite hidden-gem course and the best time of year to play that many don't consider. Listen to understand the future of the caddie business and if you're planning a trip to Ireland.

You'll never believe what Mike Weir's caddie, Brennan Little, did while downing a few beers while Weir was making the media rounds after winning the 2003 Masters. Little joined John Rathouz to fill in the blanks on that historic win for Canada and preview aspects of the 2022 Masters, including another astonishing trait Tiger Woods possesses. You'll hear what Little believes the effects could be of the latest course changes at Augusta National Golf Club and why he's hesitant to reference all of his notes on the greens.

In this week’s “Under the Strap” podcast, our John Rathouz welcomes Duane Bock, longtime caddie for Kevin Kisner. Bock, a Long Island native, who won the prestigious North and South Amateur in 1992, played professionally through the 90’s before jumping into the caddie world in the mid-2000’s.

Also known for his enormous calves, he met Kisner at a U.S. Open qualifier in 2007 and they have teamed up for all four of Kevin’s PGA Tour wins - including the 2019 Match Play. Filling in the blanks on popular topics about his always-candid boss, Duane does the talking this time, including the  helpful reason why he thinks Kevin says he can’t compete on certain courses. The episode ends with a hilarious sleepwalking story!

Before the start of the 2022 Players Championship, our John Rathouz sat down for a chat with caddie Mark Carens — a man who knows TPC Sawgrass better than most, having won the tournament while on the bag of Si Woo Kim in 2017.

In the pod, Carens tells a story about how the Sunday before the 2017 Players he and Kim were playing their own practice round on the back 9. Carens was recording Kim with his camera and before Kim hit on 18, Carens said, “one-shot lead on the last,” and then Kim barked back, “No, two-shot lead…” and that’s exactly what ended up happening the following Sunday.

In this week's 'Under the Strap' podcast, our John Rathouz sits down for a chat with Reynolds Robinson, caddie for PGA Tour player Joseph Bramlett. Robinson is a fascinating person. He grew up in New York City, excelled at basketball as a youth, became an accountant and didn't become interested in golf until age 28...

And now, since 2006, he's been a caddie at the highest levels of professional golf. He shared some great stories about his life, validating moments as a caddie thanks to Stewart Cink and Jim Furyk and what it was like to caddie for Cheyenne Woods (niece to Tiger) and the one thing he'd never chat with her about.

In this week's 'Under the Strap' podcast, our John Rathouz sits down for a chat with Justin York, who -- after a lengthy and successful run with Chez Reavie -- now caddies for South Korea's Seung-yul Noh.

York has plenty of great stories to share from memorable loops at Whisper Rock to meeting his hero, Troy Aikman, a look into his approach to caddying, his love of all things Larry David, what it was like to work for Colt Knost, a look at this week's Waste Management Phoenix Open and a whole lot more.

In this week's 'Under the Strap' podcast, our John Rathouz sits down for a chat with the one and only Geno Bonnalie, caddie for PGA Tour winner Joel Dahmen.

Geno and Joel make up one of the tightest player/caddie pairs in golf, as their friendship dates back to when Joel was just 12 years old and the two were raking in money on the course against adults -- a classic story Geno shares with us.

Among the other hilarious stories Geno shares? The time he bought a Saab that didn't start at the Quicken Loans event for $22 only to get it started and sell it to a state trooper the following week for $200 at the Greenbrier. One about a trip to Kansas and telling his young son Hudson -- who loved the Wizard of Oz -- that he might see the Tin Man... and then sending a photo home to Hudson of Joel, dressed as the Tin Man. All that and so much more -- like a foggy morning on the Korn Ferry Tour after a big night out.

Chatting with Steve Hulka is always a treat.

Hulka, who first caddied on the PGA Tour back in 1972, sat down with our John Rathouz on the latest 'Under the Strap' podcast. As usual, Hulka shared some tremendous stories -- like how Angelo Argea, longtime caddie for Jack Nicklaus -- used to tip caddies who went out in the morning wave to share the hole locations with him before he went out in the afternoon with the Golden Bear.

Hulka also shares a hilarious story about Arnold Palmer from the old Bob Hope Classic -- now known as The American Express, which will be played this week -- where Arnie provided a wink that one woman will never forget.

All that and plenty, plenty more.

Want to learn more about Brian Zeigler, caddie for Bryson DeChambeau?  

Zeigler joined our John Rathouz on the latest ‘Under the Strap’ podcast, where he told us about his background as a teaching pro – which is how he came to meet DeChambeau in 2018. Initially, Zeigler wasn’t sure he wanted to leave teaching behind, but couldn’t pass up the chance to caddie for a top-5 player in the world. He was surprised how quickly DeChambeau let him into the decision-making process… especially since their first event together was no less than the Open Championship.  

Zeigler talked about the things he does on the road, how DeChambeau’s work ethic is second to none, the work that goes into dialing in equipment being in unchartered waters with swing speed and a whole lot more… including the weight of DeChambeau’s bag, which will make your back hurt!

In this week's 'Under the Strap,' podcast, John Rathouz welcomes Tim Mickelson -- brother/caddie of six-time major winner and reigning PGA Champion, Phil Mickelson. In the pod, Tim jokes about how Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week at Kapalua's Plantation Course "are going to suck," as he charts out the course for the Sentry Tournament of Champions without a greens book due to new restrictions. He also opens up about two very special wins with Phil -- one at Pebble Beach, where their grandfather was one of the original caddies in 1919, and, of course, the win at Kiawah in the 2021 PGA Championship. Tim also gets into how, as head golf coach at Arizona State University, he landed a recruit named Jon Rahm. He was coach and then agent to Rahm before hopping over to Phil's bag as a full-time caddie. All that and a lot more!

In this 'Under the Strap' podcast episode, our John Rathouz sits down for a chat with the hilarious Sam Harrop, golf's premier parodist. Harrop has cleverly put together a number of parody songs about golf and several have gone viral... including a collaboration with caddie Aaron Flener. Enjoy!

In this Under the Strap episode, John Rathouz catches up with Joe Skovron, longtime caddie of Rickie Fowler. In the pod, Skovron dives into special moments he's had on the road like hanging out with Michael Jordan, playing golf with Tom Brady and a whole lot more. They also dive into Albany, site of this week's Hero World Challenge -- an event Fowler won in 2017 -- as well as the things Fowler has been working on in his game to prepare for what they hope will be a successful 2022.

In this ‘Under the Strap’ podcast, John Rathouz welcomes Henry Diana, caddie for Tom Hoge on the PGA Tour. Rathouz and Diana rap about the NFL, his own playing days and trips to Q-School, fun stories from Tour and Diana also gives a preview of this week's RSM Classic in Sea Island, Georgia -- a venue he knows well seeing as he resides there.

In this ‘Under the Strap’ podcast, John Rathouz welcomes Mal Baker, caddie for Talor Gooch. Gooch has been one of the hottest players on Tour lately and is heading back to the Houston Open this week -- an event he finished fourth in each of the last two years (at two different venues). Baker has been on Gooch's bag for all of his PGA Tour career to this point and riffs on how “patience” is the most important key for Gooch to get his first W. Also, it’s more important in Baker's opinion to keep bogeys off the card than put birdies on it. Baker also gives some great insight into how he likes to walk a new course (like this week's Memorial Park, which was redone by Brooks Koepka before last year's tournament) back to front starting on 18 green.

In this ‘Under the Strap’ podcast, John Rathouz welcomes longtime caddie Matt Hauser. Hauser spent years with the likes of J.J. Henry and Johnson Wagner. This week at the World Wide Technology Championship in Mayakoba, he'll be on the bag for new dad Harold Varner III. Hauser caddied for Wagner just last week in Bermuda -- in brutal conditions, where they made the cut -- and talks about how caddying for Varner this week came to be. Hauser goes through some of what you can expect to see at El Camaleon Golf Club and also explains how form doesn't count for everything once a tournament begins.

In this ‘Under the Strap’ podcast, John Rathouz welcomes Dave Stone. Stone, currently caddying for PGA Tour player Bo Hoag, got his caddie career started on the LPGA Tour. In the pod, Rathouz hears from Stone about his love of hockey (he is Canadian, after all), what life was like as a LPGA caddie, a preview of Port Royal Golf Course for this week's Butterfield Bermuda Championship and a whole lot more.

In this ‘Under the Strap’ podcast, John Rathouz welcomes PGA Tour Champions player Steve Alker. Since turning 50 in late July, the journeyman New Zealander has taken the PGA Tour Champions by storm with six finishes inside the top 9 in his first seven starts, highlighted by a solo third in the Ally Challenge. Rathouz talked to Alker about his career, his sudden surge at age 50 and how much of a role caddie Sam Workman has played sticking by Alker's side these last three years.

In this ‘Under the Strap’ podcast, John Rathouz welcomes Drew Steckel. Steckel is a swing coach on the PGA Tour, whose clients include Tour winners Kevin Na, Jason Kokrak and Danny Lee. Steckel is also the swing guru of superstar celebrity Justin Timberlake. Steckel shares stories about his philosophy on teaching pros vs. amateurs, Timberlake and more. Based in Las Vegas, Steckel also helps out with a preview of Summit, site of this week's CJ Cup.

In this ‘Under the Strap’ podcast, John Rathouz welcomes fellow caddie, Kenny Harms. Harms has had a remarkable career as a professional caddie, looping for the likes of Hubert Green, Raymond Floyd, Gary Player and Lee Trevino, not to mention Aaron Baddeley, Michelle Wie, Jan Stephenson and Emilee Klein. Since 2008, Harms has worked with Kevin Na and the partnership has been incredibly successful. This week, they're in Las Vegas at the Shriners Children's Open, a tournament where Na and Harms have won twice.

Just days removed from a dominating and much-needed victory in the Ryder Cup, American caddies Mark Urbanek (Tony Finau) and Matt Minister (Patrick Cantlay) joined our John Rathouz on this special edition 'Under the Strap' podcast to talk all about the unforgettable week at Whistling Straits. For both Urbanek and Minister, this was their first trip to a Ryder Cup. And, after experiencing all that goes with it, they're eager to be part of many, many more.

In this ‘Under the Strap’ podcast, John Rathouz welcomes fellow caddie, Steve "Pepsi" Hale. Hale currently caddies for Tour winner Richy Werenski and spent several years with Keegan Bradley in a partnership that included a win in the 2011 PGA Championship. Hale chats about a special golf trip of his own, what it's like to take a caddie, shares some magnificent stories from his career -- like best caddie hangouts on the road -- and helps to preview the Sanderson Farms Championship.

In this ‘Under the Strap’ podcast, John Rathouz welcomes PGA Tour winner and current world No. 25, Sam Burns. Burns is one of the brightest young rising stars on the PGA Tour today and he's also signed on as an investor and advisor to The Caddie Network. During their chat, Burns explains how he got into golf, when he realized it was the career path he wanted to follow, what he does in his downtime and how special it was to notch his first PGA Tour win earlier this year at the Valspar Championship.

In this ‘Under the Strap’ podcast, John Rathouz welcomes fellow caddie, Steve "Pepsi" Hale. Hale currently caddies for Tour winner Richy Werenski, but spent several years with Keegan Bradley in a partnership that included a win in the 2011 PGA Championship, as well as trips to the Ryder Cup in 2012 and 2014.

Hale chats about memorable moments from his Ryder Cup experiences and looks ahead to how things could unfold this week at Whistling Straits.

In this ‘Under the Strap’ podcast, John Rathouz welcomes J.J. Jakovac, caddie for world No. 3 and two-time major champion Collin Morikawa. Jakovac details his own professional golf career, how he got into caddying, how he wound up on the bag of Ryan Moore -- an amateur golf connection, Palmer Cup teammate and now brother-in-law -- the move to Morikawa's bag and a preview of Silverado Resort (the course Jakovac grew up playing) ahead of this week's Fortinet Championship.

In this 'Under the Strap' podcast, John Rathouz welcomes Austin Kaiser, caddie for gold medal winner Xander Shauffele. Kaiser gets into detail about how he wound up on the bag for his college teammate, takes you through his Olympic experience and more, while also talking to Rathouz about the intricacies of East Lake Golf Club and this week's playoffs finale -- the Tour Championship.

In this 'Under the Strap' podcast, John Rathouz welcomes longtime PGA Tour caddie Scott Marino and Caves Valley caddie Will Shriver. Marino does some incredible impersonations of PGA Tour players -- the caddie version of Conor Moore, if you will. In the second half of the pod, Rathouz chats with Shriver about Caves Valley, host to this week's BMW Championship, the second leg of the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup. 

In this 'Under the Strap' episode, host T.J. Auclair welcomes caddie Terry Walker. Walker has spent the last several years on the bag of PGA Tour winner Andrew Landry. Walker's story is one of perseverance and inspiration, as he overcame a brutal childhood and the personal demons that ensued to cope with that childhood. Nothing was off limits in this podcast, as Walker takes us through his journey in life, the struggles he's endured and what he's been doing to get through it all.

In this 'Under the Strap' episode, host T.J. Auclair has a conversation with caddie Mike Darby. Darby has enjoyed plenty of highs -- and lows -- in his professional career and we jump into all of them. Darby has also had a frustrating 15 months or so due to travel restrictions from his home country of Canada because of the COVID pandemic. He opens up about what that has meant for his job as a caddie and how he's happy to finally be getting back out on Tour. He also shares perhaps the funniest player/caddie break-up story of all time.

In this 'Under the Strap' episode, host T.J. Auclair has a conversation with veteran caddies Matt Minister and Travis Perkins. Both caddies played golf professionally before becoming loopers. Minister is currently on the bag for world No. 9 Patrick Cantlay, while Perkins caddies for recent Tour winner Sam Burns. We take a deep dive into how they started out, recount some of their biggest highlights to date and a lot more.

Masters week is here! So much excitement comes with the first men's major championship of the year. This week, host T.J. Auclair welcomes caddies Damian Lopez (Michael Thompson), Jeff Willett (Nick Taylor) and Brian Reed (Matt Kuchar) 'Under the Strap,' for a chat about all things The Masters. The guys spend some time previewing the week ahead -- including how different conditions will be from the November Masters in 2020 to now -- while Lopez dishes on his excitement about caddying in his first Masters since starting the looper gig in 1998. And the guys also share plenty of fun Masters-related stories, including taking you into the driving range "caddie house" that everyone raves about. Listen now!

In our latest "Under the Strap" podcast, we enjoy a chat with billionaire investor Mario Gabelli. Gabelli, founder, chairman, and CEO of Gabelli Asset Management Company Investors, became interested in the market when he caddied for specialists from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange as a young boy. Gabelli told us about the lessons he learned on the course that he's been able to apply to life and business. 

World-renowned supermodel and entrepreneur Kathy Ireland -- who has built Kathy Ireland Worldwide into one of the biggest brands on the globe -- recently entered into a partnership with the Insider Network, of which Caddie Network is a part of. Ireland joined our latest podcast along with Caddie Network co-founder Merrill Squires to talk about their longtime friendship dating back to their days working on Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue and why this new partnership made a lot of sense for both sides.  

On this episode of, 'Under the Strap,' host T.J. Auclair welcomes Dave Cavossa, founder and CEO of CaddieNow. CaddieNow, founded in 2015, is the nation’s most trusted virtual caddie service platform that pairs golfers with caddies, protects and preserves existing caddie programs at top courses and resorts and protects the occupation of caddying to elevate the standards of caddie services. Cavossa tells us all about how the idea for CaddieNow came to fruition and explained the plethora of options partners have when working with the platform. 

Ireland's Lorcan Morris is a caddie on the PGA Tour and his story is unlike we've ever heard. From his journey to the United States -- with barely any money to his name -- and earning a scholarship to play golf, to a professional career of his own, a friendship with Laura Davies that jumpstarted his caddie career, famous friends like Bill Clinton, Buster Douglas, Wynonna Judd and more. Morris sits down with host T.J. Auclair to give all the details of his incredibly interesting life. Oh, and when he's not caddying on Tour, he's a firefighter back home in North Carolina.

This month, we released the first installment of our “Caddie Confidential” series, with monthly, inside-the-ropes perspective from dozens of Tour caddies on rotating golf topics. First up: insights from a season without galleries. In this episode of 'Under the Strap,' host T.J. Auclair welcomed veteran caddies Scott Sajtinac, Damian Lopez and Jeff Willett to go over the results. We were happy to have their colorful commentary from firsthand experiences throughout 2020. 

In this week's 'Under the Strap' podcast, host T.J. Auclair welcomes back caddie guests Damian Lopez, Jeff Willett and Brian Reed for a 2020 Year in Review. 

One thing is certain -- 2020 was a year like no other. The guys talked about the sudden pause to the season in March to the unlikely restart in June, majors without fans, dealing with COVID-19 on a personal level, rising young stars and a whole lot more, including a look ahead to what we can expect in 2021.

In this latest 'Under the Strap' episode, host T.J. Auclair welcomes the husband and wife team of Ben and Heidi Hulka. Ben and Heidi log more miles each year than any couple on Tour. Caddying is in Ben's blood. His father Steve recently retired (though still pops in on occasion) after a caddying career that dates back to the 1970s. In the early 2000s, Steve started Hulka Express, a service that delivers player equipment and luggage from one event to the next. That job of loading the trailer each Sunday and driving non-stop through the night to the next PGA Tour venue now belongs to Ben and Heidi, while Ben also caddies -- primarily for C.T. Pan in 2020. On this episode we hear all about how they met, their life together on the road and what that grind is like each week to race, safely, to the next Tour stop.

In our latest 'Under the Strap' podcast, host T.J. Auclair welcomes Mark Long. Long spent several years as caddie to Fred Funk -- after being coached by Funk on the University of Maryland golf team -- before starting his successful business called Tour Sherpa, which creates the detailed yardage books and green contours books you see players and caddies using each week on the PGA Tour. We talked all about Long's business, his great run with Funk and he even shared his incredible impersonations of both Seve Ballesteros and Raymond Floyd.

Back in June, caddie Damian Lopez was one of the first to test positive for COVID-19 when the PGA Tour restarted its season. Back then, he didn't have any symptoms. A couple of weeks back -- just before the Houston Open -- Lopez tested positive a SECOND time. This time around, there were an array of symptoms. Thankfully, he's feeling much better now and is scheduled to get back to work this week at the RSM Classic. Lopez joined us on this week's 'Under the Strap' pod to talk all about his two bouts with COVID despite never letting his guard down and explains why this is something that we all need to take more seriously at such a crucial point in this pandemic. 

It may be seven months late due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but 2020 Masters week is finally upon us. To prepare us for the week ahead at Augusta National, we welcomed caddies Scott Sajtinac and John Wood -- veteran loopers of many, many major championships -- for a preview of what we can expect. Along with discussing how strange it will be to see Augusta National in November with no patrons, what the conditions will be like and more, we also spoke about the significance of Tiger's win in the 2019 Masters and whether or not he could shock the world and do it again.  

In this week's episode of 'Under the Strap,' host T.J. Auclair welcomed longtime friend Scott Martin -- a caddie on the PGA Tour for over two decades before retiring last March. Martin left looping for a job in the film industry back in his home of Montreal. In this pod, he shared some incredible stories about his life as a caddie -- the highs and the lows, including an intense dust up with Vijay Singh during a tournament -- a firing that was a blessing in disguise, his love of photography, continuing to chase a dream despite racking up serious debt, being on a couple of winning bags and a lot more. You don't want to miss this one!

NOTE: This podcast was originally recorded in April 2020. With the 2020 Masters finally around the corner, we wanted to bring it back in case you missed it the first time. In this special Masters edition 'Under The Strap' Podcast presented by The Caddie Network, TCN Director of Content T.J. Auclair is joined by three Masters-winning caddies: Joe LaCava (Fred Couples, 1992; Tiger Woods, 2019); Damon Green (Zach Johnson, 2007); and Ted Scott (Bubba Watson, 2012 & 2014). All three caddies give insight into what those Masters victories were like and the incredible experiences they had in the aftermath of the win.

It was a long time coming, but Sei Young Kim finally won her first major championship on the LPGA in the KPMG Women's PGA Championship two weeks ago. In this week's 'Under the Strap' episode, we had a chat with Kim's caddie, Paul Fusco, who has been with her every step of the way and on the bag for all 11 of her LPGA wins. Fusco talked to us about Kim's dominating 5-stroke win at Aronimink, their unforgettable trip to the 2016 Rio Olympics, his path to becoming a caddie and more. 

On this week's episode of "Under the Strap," T.J. Auclair welcomes TCN contributor and fantasy golf insider Brian Mull. Long before becoming a top sports writer, Mull spent several years in the late 1990s and early 2000s as a caddie on the PGA Tour, looping for the likes of Larry Rinker and Jerry Kelly, among others. Mull took us back to his caddying days for some great stories like the time he wound up at the home of rock star Stephen Stills (from Crosby, Stills and Nash), told us about just how crazy Tigermania was at its peak, how much his experiences as a caddie have helped in his writing and a lot more. 

This week's episode of 'Under the Strap' was an absolute treat, as host T.J. Auclair welcomed actor Michael O'Keefe -- a man most well-known to golf fans as Danny Noonan from the hit comedy Caddyshack -- and PGA Tour caddie Kip Henley. O'Keefe recently caddied a couple of practice rounds at the U.S. Open and explained to TCN that he's hoping to land a bag at the upcoming Masters. He also provided some outstanding behind-the-scenes stories about the making of Caddyshack, explained why he didn't embrace being "Noonan" until 2007, talked about the respect he has for caddies and a whole lot more, including a fun exchange with Henley over a couple of Noonan-related tweets Henley sent out during the U.S. Open. 

In the latest episode of 'Under the Strap,' host T.J. Auclair welcomes Austin Gaugert. Gaugert is one of the more interesting people in golf. He played college golf at Valparaiso, is currently a PGA Professional in Wisconsin and also spends time caddying on the Symetra Tour for Casey Danielson and on the PGA Tour for Sweden's Alex Noren.  Oh... and he's also competed in a few triathlons. 

A few months back, caddie Todd Montoya (Brian Stuard) entered a raffle for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Naturally, Montoya forgot he entered that raffle. He was reminded in a big way two weeks ago while in Napa, California for the Safeway Open when he received a call notifying him that he won two of the raffle items: 1. a pre-paid credit card for $1,000; 2. The grand prize -- a $505,000 dream home. What?! In this episode of 'Under the Strap,' Montoya tells host T.J. Auclair about all the emotions that went through his head when he learned of his good fortune, talks to us about his career as a caddie dating back to 2001, his great nicknames and some hilarious on-course stories like the player who once yelled at his caddie for... sweating.

It's no secret: U.S. Open week is brutal. It is the ultimate test in golf and based on the early musings coming out of Winged Foot -- insanely thick rough, tight fairways, super-fast greens -- this week will be no different. Chris P Jones, caddie for 2016 PGA Champion Jimmy Walker, jumped on the 'Under the Strap' podcast to talk about Winged Foot, the difficulty of the U.S. Open, Danny Noonan, Grateful Dead and a whole lot more.