by LARRY HALL
PONTE VEDRA, Florida – Who are the unsung heroes of the golf world? You know the type: Batman had Robin, the Lone Ranger had Tonto, and professional golf has the trusty caddie.
These are the guys who spend week after week during the season lugging a 60-pound golf bag for about seven miles a day. They read greens, offer advice, keep spirits up, and occasionally
serve as therapist, coach, and lightning rod when a putt lips out.
Being a caddie can be a thankless job. On any given day, they may need to act like a best friend, a mother hen, or, when things go sideways, a convenient whipping post. Yes, they get a healthy
paycheck if their player happens to win a tournament. But plenty of excellent caddies loop bags for an entire career and never quite catch lightning in a bottle.
Once a year, however, the spotlight flips.
For a brief and glorious moment, the caddies become the stars of the show. That moment arrives each year at THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass during the now famous Caddie
Kompetition.
Friendly wagers among professionals have long been part of golf culture. The classic bragging rights bet often boils down to a simple claim: my caddie is better than your caddie.
In 2004, following the passing of Tom Watson’s longtime caddie Bruce Edwards, that friendly tradition became something more meaningful. Players began contributing money to a wager pot,
betting their caddie could hit the shot closest to the pin on the iconic island green of the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass. Half of the pot would go to the winning caddie, while the other half would benefit the Bruce Edwards Foundation for ALS research.
In 2014, the PGA Tour added another layer by matching the players’ wager pot. That simple move doubled both the winner’s payout and the charitable contribution.
The event has continued to grow ever since.
In 2025, the PGA Tour signed a partnership agreement with Knockaround as the Official Eyewear of the PGA Tour. The agreement included sponsorship of the newly branded Caddie
Kompetition presented by Knockaround during THE PLAYERS week.
The stakes are now even better. The winning caddie takes home the entire players’ wager pot plus $10,000 courtesy of Knockaround. THE PLAYERS also makes a charitable donation to the
winner’s charity of choice.
Of course, money is only part of the reward. The winner earns bragging rights for an entire year, a VIP parking spot at the tournament, an engraved money clip, a custom sketch by artist Casey
Jones, and a permanent place of honor on a plaque inside the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse.
Not bad for a single swing.
The KOMPETITION
My goal for the 2026 Players Championship was to capture the story of the Caddie Kompetition. I was fortunate to meet the Knockaround on-site management team of Kyle Matias and Andy
Cohen before Wednesday’s event. They generously provided me VIP seating beside their counter, which placed me right in the middle of the action.
Throughout the day one question lingered in the air. Would anyone match the hole-in-one recorded by last year’s winner, J. J. Jakovac?
As the final group passed through, that 145-yard question was answered.
The WINNER
Bryan Martin, caddie for Rico Hoey, delivered the shot of the day and secured victory in the annual Caddie Kompetition presented by Knockaround.
Rank Caddie Distance PGA TOUR Player
1 Bryan Martin 3 feet 5 inches Rico Hoey
2 Braden Bailey 4 feet 4 inches Chandler Phillips
3 Darren Reynolds 7 feet 6 inches Shane Lowry
As luck would have it, the golf gods smiled on me. I managed to capture Bryan’s tee shot in the photograph below. The crowd erupted almost instantly. Even before the ball settled, spectators
had the feeling they might be witnessing the winning shot of the day.
They were right.
The SURPRISE
Considering that 91 caddie shots were taken, with 58 finding a watery grave around the island green, perhaps the most entertaining moment of the day did not come from a caddie at all.
PGA Tour player Ryo Hisatsune was accompanied by his friend and partner Rirua Furukawa, an accomplished amateur golfer. It did not take much encouragement from the group before she was
handed a club and invited to try her luck at the famous island green.
The result was immediate excitement. Her tee shot landed safely on the green, drawing one of the loudest cheers of the day.
Not bad for a “guest appearance.”
And yes, if you look closely at the photo, you will envy the finish. That is the follow-through of someone who has done this before.
In the final photo below, the Knockaround team celebrates alongside several caddies and players who sport their sunglasses. It was a fitting end to a day when the men normally standing in the
background stepped briefly into the spotlight.
One caddie summed up the event with these words, “We talk about that shot all year, and it might be the only time the players listen to us.”
(Larry Hall, a Jacksonville, Florida-based golf writer, is a member of Golf Heritage Society, Golf Writers Association of America, Historical Writers of America, International Network of Golf and Golf Travel Writers of America. He can be reached at: bgtriptips@gmail.com)
