Justin Thomas has gifted caddie Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay a unique keepsake from their victory in the PGA Championship, in the process highlighting the pettiness of the now-disgraced Phil Mickleson.
Mackay’s 25-year partnership with Mickelson yielded five major titles, but ended in acrimony in 2017 when Mackay quit, reportedly owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in back pay.
That revelation was contained in the just-released biography of Mickelson by journalist Alan Shipnuck, who said the narrative of a mutual decision to split that was pushed in 2017 was way off the mark.
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“The statements made the divorce sound amicable, but that was nonsense,” Shipnuck wrote on firepitcollective.com.
“Bones had fired Phil at the ’17 Memorial, over a series of simmering grievances (laid out in detail in the book), including hundreds of thousands of dollars in overdue back pay.”
Shipnuck’s book estimated Mickelson’s gambling losses totalled $56 million over a four-year period from 2010-14.
Thomas’ win at the PGA Championship has highlighted another less than endearing Mickelson trait. It is tradition in golf for the winning caddie to keep the flag from the 18th hole, but instead of allowing Mackay the honour, Mickelson instead kept the flags for his grandfather.
“That’s a giant f— you to a caddie,” Shipnuck wrote, quoting a source close to Mackay.
“When Phil wins the Masters, he gets the green jacket, the trophy, the big cheque, all the glory. He had to take the flags, too? For Phil not to follow the tradition was hugely disrespectful.”
When the pair split in 2017 Mickelson sent Mackay the flags, autographed in “comically large letters” which Mackay felt “disfigured” the keepsakes.
Mickelson’s approach was vastly different to that of Thomas, who ensured Mackay kept the flag from the 18th green at Southern Hills Country Club, while also praising ‘Bones’ for a pep-talk after the third round.
“I’m fully confident in saying that I wouldn’t be standing here if he didn’t give me that… wasn’t necessarily a speech, but a talk, if you will,” Thomas said.
“I just needed to let some steam out. I didn’t need to bring my frustration and anger home with me. I didn’t need to leave the golf course in a negative frame of mind.
“I played pretty well yesterday (third round) for shooting four over, and I felt like I’d played terrible. And (Mackay) was just like, ‘Dude, you’ve got to stop being so hard on yourself. You’re in contention every single week we’re playing’.”
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Mickelson, who became the oldest ever winner of a major title at last year’s PGA Championship, hasn’t played since the Saudi International in February.
An excerpt from Shipnuck’s book later that month quoted Mickleson, who has been linked to a Saudi-backed rebel tour fronted by Greg Norman, describing the Saudis as “scary motherf—ers.”
Mickelson was also reported as saying that it was worth doing business with the Saudis, despite their deplorable human rights record, if it meant re-shaping the PGA Tour.
The 51-year-old apologised for the comments, which he claimed were off the record and taken out of context.
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