Who is Brooks Koepka's caddie? Meet Ricky Elliot

Brooks Koepka is known as a destroyer of worlds when it comes to the major championships - but the professional golfer is always quick to pay tribute to his caddie Ricky Elliot whenever he is victorious in any event. 

Elliott has been a professional caddie for more than two decades and has worked with some accomplished names such as 2011 Open winner Darren Clarke and 2006 Players champion Stephen Ames. 

Elliott and Koepka have been friends since they were teenagers and grew up playing golf together in South Florida.

Koepka turned professional in 2012 and Elliott became his full-time caddie a year later. They have been together ever since.

Related content: Koepka's caddie nearly costs him big at The Masters

Elliot has been on the bag for all five of Koepka's major championship victories.

Koepka won the 2018, 2019 PGA Championship and 2017, 2018 U.S. Open.

He booked his fifth major championship victory at the 2023 PGA Championship. 

Elliott is known for his calm demeaner on the golf course and his ability to read greens.

He is also highly respected among his peers and is considered one of the best caddies in the game.

Koepka has occasionally used substitute caddies for specific tournaments or rounds but Elliott has been his primary caddie for the vast majority of his professional career.

During his career, Elliot has also caddied for 2003 Open champion Ben Curtis and Matthew Fitzpatrick at the 2014 Masters. 

Where is Elliot from?

Elliott is originally from Portrush, Northern Ireland, and started his career as a caddie at Royal Portrush Golf Club.  

He later worked with golfers such as Stephen Ames and Darren Clarke before teaming up with Koepka in 2013.

Elliott is highly respected among other tour caddies. 

In addition to his work as a caddie, Elliott is also a talented golfer in his own right.

Elliott represented Ireland at the 1990 European Youths Championship

He played collegiate golf at the University of Toledo and competed professionally on various tours before turning to caddying full-time.

What has Brooks Koepka said about Elliot?

Brooks Koepka immediately paid tribute to his caddie after he won his maiden U.S. Open, saying:

Before the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush, Koepka said:

How much money does Ricky Elliot make?

It's typical for professional golfers to tip their caddies 10 per cent, plus bonuses. 

Brooks Koepka won $37,987,257 in PGA Tour earnings before he switched to LIV Golf in the summer of 2022. 

It is not unreasonable to suggest Ricky Elliot is paid very well!

Controversy

Ricky Elliot found himself at the centre of a attention at the 2023 Masters. 

Elliot was accused of giving Koepka's playing partner, Gary Woodland, 'verbal advice'. Koepka was also accused of using his hand to gesture what club he had struck for his second shot on the par-5 15th hole. 

Under the rules of golf this is not allowed and the moment was investigated by the Masters' tournament committee. 

Koepka denied helping Woodland by telling the golfer he had used a 5-iron. 

He told reporters: "Today was just about my, I guess, my hand and my glove. I don't know if you’re supposed to take your glove off with your fist closed or what now."

For his part, Woodland explained: "At the end of the day, Brooks hit his shot on 15. I asked Butchy if he saw what he hit. He said no. Luckily for us because Brooks ended up hitting 5-iron. I hit 5-iron. I asked Butchy what the club was, and he said it's a choked-up perfect 5.

"I hit my shot. When we were walking down, I asked Brooks what he hit, and he said 5. If I would have known that, I probably would have hit 6-iron, and I would have hit 6-iron in the middle of the water. Luckily for me, I didn't know what he hit. That's the end of it."

When Koepka was asked what his caddie had told the committee, he explained: "I think what they said was they were signaling to somebody else or he was signaling to somebody of what it was. It wasn’t Butchy. Because they asked us what we hit walking down the fairway, so they had no idea."

He added: "I'm taking my glove off. The last thing I'm going to do is give it to Gary Woodland, the U.S. Open champ. And the funny part about it is I think if he would have known we were hitting five, he would have hit six because I don't think Gary is that short and he's 10 in front of me, 12 in front of me."

Despite their denials, several tour pros were not happy with what transpired. 

One described it as 'a clear violation'. 

The anonymous player told Golfweek: "I think they both should get dinged. They're both guilty."

Next page: Who is Brooks Koepka's wife?