As we saw last year with Scottie Scheffler, the opportunity for caddies to make millions of dollars is a real possibility.
In 2024, the World No.1 racked up title-after-title and, in the process, netted over $55 million. That meant caddie, Ted Scott, secured around $5.5 million, which would have put around 17th on the PGA Tour money list for that season.
Although players are now earning more money than ever, that is only the case for those on the top circuits, let alone their caddies.
Speaking in an excusive interview with Golf Monthly, veteran looper Kenny Harms has worked alongside the likes of Hale Irwin and Lee Trevino, as well as enjoying a 16-year partnership with Kevin Na that yielded five PGA Tour victories.
Beginning his caddying career on the LPGA Tour in 1991, Harms agrees that the life of a caddie can be a difficult one, especially when their bosses are needing to produce strong finishes just to break even.
"If you're on the Korn Ferry Tour, there's only 10 caddies that are actually putting any money in the bank and that are actually covering their expenses," explained the American.
"People also don't realize that, on the PGA Tour, half the guys are missing the cut... Everybody looks at how much money they're playing for, but they don't realize that if you don't have a great player it's hard to make a living."
As of writing, the prize purse for a Korn Ferry Tour event is $1 million, with the winner taking home $180,000. Usually, a caddie will earn a 10% cut for a victory, equating to an $18,000 payday.
For those who finish inside the top 10, caddies will often be paid around 7% and, for the player who finishes 10th on the Korn Ferry Tour, they secure a $25,500 paycheck. That may sound like a significant amount, but it means the caddie nets just $1,785 for their week's work.
Sometimes, though, it's not much better for caddies on the PGA Tour. Back in 2022, Joel Dahmen's caddie, Geno Bonnalie, showed off the not-so-glamourous accommodation at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, with a tweet revealing that him and three other bagmen had to share a room to help the costs.
This is something that is a common occurrence for caddies on the circuits, with Harms himself explaining that "when I started caddying, we (would often) have four guys in a hotel room to save money."
He went on to add: "You can do it, but you're not going out and having dinner. You're eating at some fast food restaurants, for example.
"It's getting more expensive, but salaries have gone up as well. When I started caddying I was making $300 a week and now the salaries are $1,500 plus.
"That may sound good but, when I was caddying, we were spending $300 on travel, now you're spending $1,500."
The life of a caddie isn't for the faint-hearted, and that's if you are able to find a player to loop for in the first place.
"When I left (the LPGA Tour in 1991), it was very difficult to get a job. I tell everybody 'if you really want to be a professional caddie, you need to go to the Korn Ferry Tour.'
"It may even be the case that nobody's going to know who you are. You're going to go and sit in that parking lot for maybe six to eight weeks, but you better plan on having $1,000 a week because, in that time, you might get lucky and you might get a job.
"If you're going to start, that's (Korn Ferry Tour or Challenge Tour) where you probably should start. It's difficult and you might not ever make it to the big leagues.
"Then again, you might get a guy that gets his card and finishes in the top 25 and, from there, you're out there."
After five victories alongside Na, the most recent of which came at the 2021 Sony Open in Hawaii, the pair parted ways in August 2024. In fact, throughout his 35 years as a caddie, it was the first time Harms had ever been sacked from his position.
Currently, Harms is enjoying a break from the game, with his ambition to perhaps one day return to the sport.
"If somebody can work in their profession, do what they love to do and wake up that morning, it makes the job so much easier.
"I was very blessed for all those years and golf has been amazing to me. Who knows what will happen next? I might go back, or I might do something else, we'll just have to wait and see."
