Patrick Cantlay recently split with caddie Matt Minister and has hired Joe LaCava, given Tiger Woods is sidelined for the foreseeable future after having ankle fusion surgery; Watch the Wells Fargo Championship live on Sky Sports
Last Updated: 03/05/23 6:47pm
Joe LaCava (left) will caddie for Patrick Cantlay at the Wells Fargo Championship
Patrick Cantlay has admitted he didn’t consult Tiger Woods before signing his long-time caddie Joe LaCava for “the foreseeable future”.
LaCava has caddied for Woods full-time since 2011 and was alongside him when he claimed his 15th major title at The Masters in 2019, with the veteran also sticking with the former world No 1 in recent years as injury limited his play schedule.
Woods has only made a handful of starts since a career-threatening car crash in February 2021 and was forced to undergo ankle surgery after withdrawing mid-round from The Masters last month, with the 47-year-old currently having no official timetable for a return to competitive action.
Joe LaCava caddied for Tiger Woods during his most recent appearance at The Masters
LaCava was reportedly given approval by Woods to get a new full-time caddie role, although Cantlay elected against speaking to the five-time Masters champion before reaching out to hire him.
“I haven’t spoken to Tiger,” Cantlay said in his pre-tournament press conference ahead of the Wells Fargo Championship, live from Thursday on Sky Sports.
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LaCava has previously stepped in to caddie for Cantlay at The Northern Trust in 2021, when regular looper Matt Minister missed the event due to Covid-19, while the world No 4 admitted that conversations with Fred Couples helped him to consider LaCava as a possible option.
“I’ve been friends with Fred Couples a long time, he’s been in Newport Beach for a number of years now and we’ve played a lot of golf together, so I’ve heard a number of great things about Joe [LaCava].
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“When I reached out to Joe, he said it was possible, it ended up working out and I’m really happy about it. He’s just a steady hand on the steering wheel.
“I know he’s been in every moment a caddie could be in and he’s just a good guy. So I’ve enjoyed the limited time that I’ve spent with him and feel confident that we’ll be a good team out there.”
Cantlay, who has six top-10s in 11 PGA Tour starts this season, had worked with Minister since 2017 and were together for all of his eight career wins.
“We accomplished a lot together and I’m really proud of all we accomplished,” Cantlay explained. “He’s a great friend of mine and we had a lot of good finishes together and a lot of wins. So I’m incredibly grateful to him, just needed a change.”
Watch the Wells Fargo Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Early coverage begins via the red button from midday on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of full coverage from 7pm.