Caddy Employment

The New York Times’ Karen Crouse uses Joe LaCava’s decision to dump Dustin Johnson for Tiger Woods to take a look at the hiring and firing of the Tour Caddy:

LaCava’s decision to leave Johnson for Woods surprised some caddies, who are like horsemen when it comes to picking their rides. They place great weight on recent performances, which makes sense since, in addition to a base salary for the week — roughly $1,500, a large chunk of which goes toward travel and lodging expenses — they also receive a percentage of their boss’s earnings: 6 percent for a made cut, 8 percent for a top-10 finish and 10 percent for a victory.

Over the past two years, Johnson has had 13 top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, including three victories. Woods has no victories and four top-10s. Johnson is ranked fifth on the current money list, 113 spots ahead of Woods.

“Dustin Johnson’s an A.T.M. machine,” said the veteran caddie Ricci Roberts, who is two weeks into his latest tour of duty with Ernie Els.

The instability of these relationships makes the Mickelson/Bones pairing nothing short of remarkable.