Pro golfer Patrick Cantlay on Tiger Woods and prepping for the FedEx Cup Playoffs
A familiar face will be carrying an unfamiliar bag at this week’s FedEx Cup Playoffs at The Northern Trust in New Jersey. Tiger Woods’ caddie, Joe LaCava, has been tapped to work for four-time PGA Tour winner Patrick Cantlay, after his usual looper, Matt Minister, tested positive for Covid-19.
LaCava was free since his boss, Tiger Woods, is still sidelined after suffering leg injuries in a car accident in February.
Cantlay told Yahoo Finance Live that he texted with Woods this week and thanked him for making the veteran caddie available.
“I couldn’t ask for a better replacement,” Cantlay said. “Joe’s never caddied for me before, but I obviously know Joe a little bit and spent some time with him after the President’s Cup, and he’s a great dude and obviously a very good caddie. I think he said he’s been doing this for almost 35 years, so he knows what he’s doing.”
Cantlay and Woods became friends at the prestigious Medalist Golf Club in South Florida, where they are both members. Woods was also Cantlay’s playing captain at the 2019 Presidents Cup in Australia.
“He did such a marvelous job that week and really bonded with the guys,” said Cantlay. “We’ve played a little golf since then. Tiger’s just a great dude, so we can’t wait to get him back and get him back and healthy.”
Cantlay, 29, enters The Northern Trust in third place in the FedExCup standings thanks to wins at the ZoZo Championship in the fall and the Memorial Tournament in June.
He's looking forward to having fans at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey for the first leg of the playoffs, one year after Covid-19 prevented spectators from attending the U.S. Open Championship in New York.
“It’s nice to have the fans back,” Cantlay said. “The New York fans are fantastic, and they add a little more excitement to the tournaments up in this area. [Fans] are such a great part of sports.”
As of Aug. 18, there were still tickets available to watch the Tour’s top 125 ranked golfers in person. While masks are optional outside, the club is requiring masks be worn indoors.
Cantlay said there’s “no better place” to have the playoffs. “We played the tournament up here a few years ago and I like it a lot. It’s always exciting this time of year,” he added.
Cantlay earned a $1.2 million bonus for clinching third place in the coveted Comcast Business Tour Top 10, behind first place Collin Morikawa and second place Jordan Spieth, who just this week became the first PGA Tour pro to partner with FanDuel in a new multiyear partnership.
Currently ranked ninth in the world, Cantlay made more than $6 million in 2019, after 21 events and has been adding to his earnings off the links by scoring endorsement deals.
In 2020, he signed a multiyear deal for an undisclosed amount with Goldman Sachs to build brand awareness for its new mobile banking app, Marcus. As part of the sponsorship, Cantlay sports the bank’s logo on his clothing during events.
When it comes to managing his newfound wealth, Cantlay said he's still learning.
“I try to be very long term and fairly conservative,” he said. “It’s definitely a big wide world out there that I’m getting more and more knowledgeable about, and so I try to really get some mentors in that area.”
Alexis Christoforous is an anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @AlexisTVNews.
