Tiger Woods has managed to hire Dustin Johnson’s caddie Joe LaCava, apparently without contacting even Johnson to ask if it was ok
It is a surprising move for many reasons and it’ll be interesting to see LaCava’s justification for leaving one of the most promising talents on the PGA Tour for an ex-world No 1 who hasn’t won in two years.
It’s like agreeing to become the captain of the Titanic after it hit the iceberg.
"Joe LaCava is an outstanding caddie and I have known him since I was an amateur, really looking forward to having him on the bag," posted Woods on Twitter.
David Winkle, Johnson's agent at Hambric Sports Management, confirmed LaCava was going to work for Woods and a search for a new caddie would begin immediately.
"Needless to say, Dustin and I were completely surprised, as they have enjoyed a great relationship and have been very successful together," Winkle said.
"Nonetheless, we think highly of Joe, both as a caddie and a person, which is why he was hired in the first place. We wish him nothing but the best with his new employer."
LaCava has a very impressive resume after caddying for Fred Couples for 20 years before joining Johnson.
This will definitely be a story to watch as there is almost bound to be fallout because of the way Woods approached LaCava.
Johnson’s swing coach Butch Harmon, who has also worked with Tiger, wasn’t impressed with the way Woods went about acquiring his new caddie.
"The thing that bothered me the most was Tiger Woods not calling Dustin and asking if he could talk to Joe," said Harmon, who used to work with Woods. "That's the way it's done. I'm a little disappointed with the way Tiger handled it. But I'm not surprised."
From LaCava’s point of view the switch may have been motivated by family, he has stressed how he wants to spend more time with his two children and Johnson seems to be tending more towards the European Tour these days.
The pressure on LaCava is going to be pretty intense with Woods looking to get his career back on track. Woods demands success, so much so that even though his last full-time caddie Steve Williams was the best man at his wedding, it wasn’t enough to secure his job.