A former PGA Tour caddie who defected for controversial breakaway league LIV Golf says his new job is "f--king great."
The anonymous bag-carrier, writing in Golf Digest, claims that in addition to being better compensated, he no longer feels like he is "disposable" in the eyes of tour officials.
In the piece, the caddie touts his newfound "life-changing money," as well as cushier accommodations and an overall friendlier working environment, as reason for why he hasn't looked back since making the jump.
LIV Golf has come under fierce criticism due to its primary benefactor, the Saudi government, whose human-rights abuses are well-documented.
The anonymous caddie says he'd be out of work -- regardless of tour or country -- if he held himself to such a standard.
I’m aware of the human-rights abuses in Saudi Arabia and the country’s regime, which is funding LIV Golf. The media asks more questions about that than about the golf. I asked myself the same questions when my player signed up and asked me to join, and I came to this conclusion: I’m a globetrotter, and I’ve seen the best and the worst of people across the world. If I didn’t work an event because of what country it was in or what club it was played at or who was sponsoring it, well, I wouldn’t have a schedule.
Like many PGA Tour players, PGA Tour caddies have long griped about their pay and overall treatment, culminating in a 2015 class-action lawsuit over being made to wear bibs emblazoned with the logos of various sponsors, without compensation, over their traditional white coveralls.
The caddies lost the lawsuit, but the pressure it produced later prompted the PGA to agree to increasing stipends for health care insurance.
Still, PGA players and caddies alike considered their take-home to be just a tiny fraction of what the tour actually generated off their work.
The LIV caddie closed with a sobering observation that "all money is dirty."
Back home I belong to men’s clubs at two courses, one public and one private. I thought the public guys would be more understanding. Turns out the private guys get it: All money is dirty, and you do what you can to get it.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram