Scottie Scheffler will be without his caddie Ted Scott when he tees it up at this week’s BMW Championship in a huge blow for golf’s world No 1.
Scott has been a mainstay in Scheffler’s professional career for the past four years, but a family emergency last weekend saw him rush back to his home in Louisiana.
The change in circumstance led to Scheffler turning to a chaplain and close friend to help him out with the final round of the FedEx St Jude on Sunday, and now it’ll be all change again this week.
The recent Open champion and four-time major winner will have Mike Cromie on his bag instead, as he continues his foray into the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Scott’s personal matter has so far not yet been disclosed, but it is expected Scheffler will field questions about his close friend’s absence as the week progresses.
The world No 1 is due to begin the tournament on Thursday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, where he will be paired with Rory McIlroy for the first round of the penultimate tournament of the season.
Ted Scott (right) has rushed back to Louisiana to deal with an undisclosed family matter
He also missed last Sunday, with chaplain and close friend Brad Payne stepping in to help
Cromie has served as the caddie for six-time PGA Tour winner Chris Kirk in the past.
Kirk, however, fell short of qualifying for the BMW Championship at 51st in the FedExCup rankings – the top 50 advanced to this week’s event.
It could turn into a lucrative weekend for the stand-in caddie if Scheffler is in his usual imperious form… form that has earned Scott an eye-watering amount over the past few years.
The American’s regular wins have even seen Scott earn more than most players on the PGA Tour, as he takes home an estimated 10% of Scheffler’s prize money.
This season he has already banked $20.36m in tournament prize money, giving Scott just over $2m for himself.
On top of that, Scheffler has another $23m in bonus money – but it is unclear how much commission his caddie is on when it comes to that.
This weekend, there is a $20m purse for the BMW Championship, with $3.6m being handed to the winner, meaning Scheffler’s stand-in caddie would take home around $360,000 if he comes out on top.
