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1. Robert Allenby & Matthew Tritton
“You want me to quit, don’t you?” said Tritton to Allenby during the second round of the 2007 BMW Championship. “No, I don’t,” replied the Aussie. Unconvinced, Tritton then took off his bib and tossed away his yardage book before storming off in a huff.
2. Anthony Kim & Scott Gneiser
After a promising enough start, this relationship was brought to an abrupt end in 2008 when Gneiser informed his young boss on the range that he’d missed out on a place in the WGC-Accenture Match Play the following week. An angry Kim fired him on the spot.
3. Colin Montgomerie & Billy Goddard
After parting with long-term caddie Alistair McLean weeks before the US Open in 2007, Monty was temporarily assigned a local caddie at Oakmont. The chap in question was Billy Goddard – and he lasted just 36 turbulent holes!
4. Tiger Woods & Mike Cowan
As Tiger’s first pro caddie, Cowan attracted plenty of media attention and earned a celebrity profile that he seemed to like a little too much. Hacked off by that, Tiger cut loose the one-time Peter Jacobsen right-hand man in 1999.
5. Jay Williamson & Mike Mollett
Journeyman pro Williamson got into a dispute with caddie Mollett after a wayward shot during the 2007 Canadian Open. Mollett was fired on the spot and Williamson chose his replacement from the gallery.
6. Ian Woosnam & Miles Byrne
Having cost his Welsh boss the chance to win the Open at Royal Lytham weeks earlier by stashing an extra club in the bag, Byrne was sacked at the 2001 Scandinavian Masters after failing to show up for an early tee-time. “I don’t know where he is,” said Woosnam shortly before chucking the hapless bagman. “He’s had a warning so that’s that.”
7. Brendan Pappas & Randy Phelps
“We had a difference of opinion,” said Pappas, describing the moments that led up to Phelps walking off the course and out of a job during the 2004 Buick Classic. “I asked him to read a couple of putts and he was way off.” Pappas got a spectator to finish the round.
8. Henrik Stenson & Grant Berry
Swedish star Stenson’s Masters debut in 2006 didn’t go as planned as he began with a five-over-par 77 – and a huge barney with his sidekick Berry. “He confused me on a few things way to late in my swing process,” said Stenson afterwards.
9. Robert Allenby & Michael Waite
He’s back again! At the 1995 Open Championship, Allenby and Waite exchanged angry words. The result? Waite lifting the Aussie’s bag above his head and throwing it down the fairway before storming off.
10. Jose Maria Olazabal & Dave Renwick
The legendary late Scots caddie had several ups, including the 1994 Masters win, but also downs in an eight-year spell with the Spaniard. He recently recalled one such bust-up to The Scotsman at Valderrama, where he walked off the course. “I remember saying to Frank after five or six holes, ‘I’ve had enough of this guy and I’ll be walking in’ and I did after the tenth. There’s a balance to be struck between making good money and taking someone’s crap.”
11. Tony Carolan & Unnamed Korean caddie
Little-known Aussie Carolan took the first round lead at the 2008 Ballantine’s Championship in Korea – but only after sacking a local caddie to whom he had been assigned after just three holes. “He was just terrible,” he later groaned.
12. Jessica Korda & Jason Gilroyed
Aged just 20 at the time, Korda was widely criticised for her decision to sack caddie Jason Gilroyed on the spot during the 2013 US Women’s Open. After a five-over-par 40 on the front nine, the American had had enough. “We had a couple of disagreements here and there, and I wasn’t in the right state of mind,” Korda said. Before she teed off on the tenth, boyfriend Johnny DelPrete took up duties.
13. Seve Ballesteros & Martin Gray
Seve went through caddies at a pretty swift rate and the departure of Gray at the 1997 Spanish Open was his fourth in two years. “We both think it is better that we have a break from each other. We both said the same thing to each other at the same time.” The breaking point came when Ballesteros drove into the lake for the second time in two days to take a six.
But their relationship was already strained over the ‘apple incident’. In Dubai, Ballesteros was handed an apple by Gray on the tenth tee which Ballesteros threw away after one bite complaining that it was too soft. Gray then remarked, “What do you want a caddie or a greengrocer?”
14. Robert Allenby & Mike Middlemo
Who’d want to caddie for the Aussie?! At the 2015 Canadian Open, Allenby got into a disagreement with Middlemo over club selection for an approach shot. The shot found the water and a triple-bogey followed, leading to a heated argument between the pair which resulted in Middlemo walking off. “My nerves have been rattled. I’m in shock,” Robert Allenby told SCOREGolf.
“This is the worst incident I’ve ever witnessed as a player. He got right in my face as if he wanted to just beat me up. I said, ‘Stop being a such-and-such and calm down and get back into the game’. And he just got even closer and closer and I just said, ‘That’s it, you’re sacked’. Middlemo’s response: “When the personal insults come in and you’re being called a fat so-and-so, I got a little bit peeved by it.”
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