Justin Thomas confirms shock split on eve of The Masters
Justin Thomas will now have a new caddie on the bag at The Masters after 'parting ways' with Jim 'Bones' Mackay.
Justin Thomas has taken to social media to reveal he has 'parted ways' with caddie Jim 'Bones' Mackay on the eve of The Masters.
Mackay, 58, joined the bag of Thomas, 30, full-time on 30 September 2021.
Prior to joining Thomas, the Surrey-born Florida resident worked for NBC / Golf Channel as an on-course commentator.
That came after spending 25 years on the bag of Phil Mickelson.
Mackay and Mickelson parted ways in 2017.
Thomas and Mackay landed the 2022 US PGA, which marked the second of Thomas' career, but that would be their sole title together on the PGA Tour.
The former World No.1 endured a wretched run of form in the early part of 2023, but despite missing a number of cuts he was still picked as a wildcard in Zach Johnson's US Ryder Cup team, which lost by five points in Rome.
Thomas then slowly returned to form, stringing together seven consecutive top-12 finishes from August 2023 to February 2024.
But Thomas has once again fallen off the pace in recent weeks with two missed cuts in his last four starts on the PGA Tour.
Much of Thomas' struggles have been on the greens where he currently ranks a lowly 169th in SG: Putting (-0.674).
Seemingly in need of a fresh start and new outlook on the PGA Tour, Thomas has made the difficult decision to part ways with Mackay just a week before the season's first major at Augusta National.
— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) April 3, 2024
— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) April 3, 2024
Thomas tweeted:
"While incredibly difficult for me to say, Bones and I have parted ways. I'm going to be forever thankful for him joining me on the bag in 2021. The things we've been able to accomplish together - the PGA Championship in 2022, the Presidents Cup, the Ryder Cups were unforgettable experiences. His wisdom on and off the course has been a blessing during a tough stretch of my career and he was there every step of the way.
"I know there are great things coming for both of us down the road. I wish him the best of luck and will always count him and his family amongst my friends."
Thomas will now have Matt Minister on his bag at The Masters next week, according to Golf Channel's Todd Lewis.
Minister was once on the bag of former FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay.
Justin Thomas & Jim “Bones” Mackay are elite in their craft. The split is surprising given the timing for sure.
On the bag next week for @JustinThomas34 at @TheMasters will be veteran Matt Minister who was the caddie for @patrick_cantlay when he won the 2021 @TOURChamp.
— Todd Lewis (@ToddLewisGC) April 3, 2024
News of Thomas and Mackay's split comes a week after Mickelson confirmed his brother Tim was stepping down from his bag to go into retirement.
Mickelson has picked up a veteran caddie ahead of this week's LIV Golf Miami event and The Masters.
What do you make of Thomas and Mackay's split? Will JT return to his best form? How much of a concern is his putting right now? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels.
