JT's ex-caddie urges golfer to take pressure off Scottie Scheffler at Bethpage Black
Legendary caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay has urged Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa to step up their games ahead of the 2025 matches at Bethpage Black.
Legendary caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay has implored his former employer Justin Thomas to step up at the 2025 Ryder Cup as Scottie Scheffler cannot shoulder "too much responsibility".
The biennial contest between the United States and Europe gets underway on Friday at Bethpage Black in New York.
Scheffler, 29, heads into the 45th edition of the matches with an enormous amount of responsibility on his shoulders as the top-ranked golfer.
The American added two major titles to his resume this summer at the PGA Championship and The Open.
He will be desperate to right the wrongs of his display in Italy two years ago where he did not win any of the four matches he participated in.
Bones, who caddied for the aforementioned Thomas for more than two years, believes there are certain players in the US team that arrive at Bethpage having had underwhelming season.
He told the 5 Club podcast he reckons the red, white and blue will have their hands full with a "stacked" European team.
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"As far as the Americans are concerned, I think, you know, certainly you can't say enough about the home course advantage, if you will," Bones said.
"Keegan Bradley is going to have been quite involved in terms of the setup of the golf course.
"But I think that for the Americans to have a great week, a couple of guys in particular need to have positive match results, if you will.
"And that would be Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa, a couple of guys that haven't had the best years of their careers, certainly in 2025, but have stepped up in this event before.
"And I think that you just can't you can't put too much weight on Scottie Schaeffer's shoulders.
"He's the best player in the world, but can only do so much.
"But I just think that those two guys in particular need to have huge weeks.
I think Justin Thomas also falls into that category."
Scheffler spoke to reporters on Tuesday about how he is feeling ahead of his third appearance for the US.
His "pod" included Morikawa, Russell Henley and Harris English.
Thomas played alongside Bryson DeChambeau, Ben Griffin and Cameron Young.
Our Andy Roberts has taken a look as to what Bradley might be thinking.
Ben Smith joined the GolfMagic team in September 2021, initially as a content executive.
These days, he assumes the position of content manager.
