Justin Thomas Gets Veteran Caddie His First Major Win
Longtime caddie Jimmy Johnson got his first major win when Justin Thomas took the PGA Championship. Johnson arrived on Tour way back in 1995.
GolfDigest.com’s Tim Rosaforte offers a good bio on the low key Johnson (who I never noticed smiling or celebrating during Thomas’ final winning round).
At 60, Johnson joins Fluff Cowan and Frank Williams among the senior caddies on the PGA Tour. He’s been on tour since 1995 and had carried the clubs for both the current Presidents Cup captains, Nick Price and Steve Stricker, as well as Charles Howell III. With that type of resume, Johnson came highly recommended when Thomas came out of Alabama and was looking for a veteran to guide him in the summer of 2015. “Calm and in the moment,” is how Thomas said he felt with Johnson standing by his side.
That demeanor comes from Johnson’s own experience as a golfer that won four times at North Texas State and spent 17 years traveling with Jennifer on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa, where he won once, finished 17th on the money list in 1995 and befriended Price. Their working relationship began at the suggestion of caddie Jeff “Squeeky” Medlen, who caddied for Price with his Open Championship win in 1994 and two PGA championship victories in 1992 and 1994. Three weeks before he died of leukemia in 1997, Medlen said to Price, “If something happens to me, I really want Jimmy to caddie for you.”