Kuchar On Stiffing His Caddie: ‘That’s Not A Story’
When Matt Kuchar won his first PGA Tour event in 4.5 years at Mayakoba, it was noteworthy as he used a local caddie. David Giral Ortiz was selected by Kuch when his usual caddie John Wood had prior engagements. Well, the duo had that winning week. All good, right?
Maybe, until ex-Tour player Tom Gillis intimated that Kuchar essentially “stiffed” the caddie by not paying him the customary 10% of the spoils.
Even better. Who’s gonna b the one to identify the player the paid his caddy 3k after winning a PGA tour event last fall??? https://t.co/YiRK44tpSN
— Tom Gillis (@tcgillis) January 12, 2019
That’s Bs. Better protect himself next time he go’s down. https://t.co/pj2f0rPPHq
— Tom Gillis (@tcgillis) January 12, 2019
If Kuchar wins this weekend let’s hope he pays his man more than 3k like the last win. 45 mil in earnings. Could’ve changed the mans life. 👎
— Tom Gillis (@tcgillis) January 12, 2019
GolfChannel’s Brandel Chamblee chimed in…
The reason tour caddies are paid as much as they are is to offset travel expenses and the sacrifice of a lifetime on the road away from family and friends. If Kuch in fact paid his substitute caddy $3,000 (from what I read, roughly twice his normal salary) seems a fair exchange. https://t.co/Zp16KC7FGv
— Brandel Chamblee (@chambleebrandel) January 12, 2019
There’s a case for that–especially if the two agreed to preset pay based on performance beforehand.
Follow the rest of Tom Gillis’ timeline here.
Kuchar responded by saying “That’s not a story. It’s wasn’t 10 percent. It wasn’t $3,000. It’s not a story.”
“He was definitely my lucky charm,” Kuchar said at the time. “He brought me good luck and certainly some extra crowd support and did a great job as well. He did just what I was hoping for and looking for.”
Golf.com’s Dylan Dethier–an ex-pro–chimes in.
For context, I walked several holes with Kuchar and his caddie, El Tucan, that week in Mayakoba. It was clear Kuchar wasn’t leaning on him the way he would a full-time looper. I think something in the neighborhood of 5% makes sense, but I don’t think there needs to be an ironclad rule on this — when in doubt, shell out, right? But in fairness to Kuchar, I think we’re still missing a key part of this story.
So, what to do? Ask Ortiz himself or is it really any of our business to know? If untrue, Matt has to endure the unfair public scrutiny. If true, his conscience will have to deal with it. Or not.
Either way, Matt’s latest win yesterday in Hawaii was noteworthy since the caddie news came out after Saturday’s 3rd round. Dealing with that and ultimately winning the tournament makes for strong intestinal fortitude. Also makes me believe Gillis’ accusation was a bit off.
