When Ruoning Yin won the KPMG Women’s PGA, she did so with a caddie she’d only known for a few weeks, a veteran by the name of Jon Lehman.
That was in June 2023, and Yin, who was just 20 years at the time, had been with Lehman for just a couple of tournaments.
The pair were still working together at the US Women’s Open the following month, although it appears that some time after that Yin and Lehman parted company.
Come the end of the year, another veteran caddie by the name of David Jones had taken over duties on the bag.
The Ulsterman has caddied for a number of big names on the LPGA Tour. He was on the bag for In Gee Chun when she won the 2016 Evian Championship and for Sung Hyun Park’s two Major titles at the 2017 US Women’s Open and 2018 KPMG Women’s PGA.
Jones, a former international and one-time professional, has also caddied for Lydia Ko.
Jones grew up in Derry, Northern Ireland, and started his caddying career on the European Tour (now DP World Tour) after which he made the switch to the LPGA Tour.
As well as caddying for a number of female players, Jones has also worked with some top male players, one of the most recent of which was three-time PGA Tour winner Nick Taylor.
A more than decent player himself, he says that caddying is the next best thing to coming down the stretch as a player.
His work ethic and professionalism have been highlighted by a number of former players, including Ko, who has worked with Jones on more than one occasion.
“I try and be more positive when I’m on the golf course, and he definitely helps me with that,” Ko said of Jones when they were working together in early 2023. “I think his knowledge with that playing background helps.”
