The hottest amateur in golf will have a familiar face on the bag when he makes his highly-anticipated professional debut at next week’s Travelers Championship. The Forecaddie hears that NCAA champ Matthew Wolff has hired J.P. Fitzgerald, who shouldered Rory McIlroy to four major victories.
The veteran caddie worked with McIlroy for almost a decade until they split in July 2017. Fitzgerald’s addition to the Wolff pack strikes The Man Out Front as a savvy move by the player’s management team at Wasserman —hiring a rock-steady bagman who knows just what it’s like to guide a high-profile phenom unaccustomed to life inside the ropes on the PGA Tour.
Wolff, 20, is famous for an unorthodox swing that has brought him to No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings behind his Oklahoma State teammate Viktor Hovland, who will also turn pro next week in the PGA Tour stop in Hartford. Wolff played in the Waste Management Phoenix Open earlier this year, shooting an opening 67 before finishing T-50.
One of Fitzgerald’s admirers called it a great move, adding that the veteran caddie is perfect for a young player like Wolff. The person spoke to TMOF Monday on the range at Pebble Beach, where news of the hiring was being whispered.
U.S. Open: On TV | Photos | Tee times | Betting odds
During his time on McIlroy’s bag, Fitzgerald was respected for staying in the background, ignoring the criticism on social media, and just getting on with his job. He has not caddied since splitting with McIlroy. He divides his time between Dubai and his native Dublin.
Fitzgerald himself was a promising amateur before turning sherpa for Ryder Cup star Paul McGinley a quarter-century ago. He also had spells working for Darren Clarke and Ernie Els before being hired by McIlroy in 2008. By one estimate, he earned more than $7 million with the former World No. 1. His biggest payday came when McIlroy won the $10 million FedEx Cup in 2016.
“A tsunami just hit my bank account,” the caddie texted his boss when his percentage was paid soon after the win. “So thank you very much.”
