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It’s unclear when, or even if, Tiger Woods will return to golf.
However, his caddie, Joe LaCava, is back in the game, as he features on the bag for four-time PGA Tour winner Patrick Cantlay this week at the The Northern Trust.
With Woods sidelined indefinitely due to his leg injuries suffered in a car accident back in February and Cantlay’s regular bagman Matt Minister out with COVID-19, the pair have united on a temporary basis.
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LaCava, 66, who also caddied for his former boss Fred Couples on the PGA Tour Champions in June while Woods is in recovery, was able to drive down from Connecticut to answer Cantlay’s call at short notice.
“I ran it by Tiger first,” LaCava told reporters Tuesday, via ESPN.
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Cantlay also told Yahoo Finance that LaCava has never caddied for him before but he had built up a relationship with him from the Presidents Cup, which was last held in 2019.
“We texted a little bit. And I just thanked him for letting me use Joe this week and letting him off. So, Tiger and I spent a little time. We both live in the Jupiter area and we got close really for the first time at the Presidents Cup,” Cantlay said.
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“He was the captain there when we went to Melbourne for the Presidents Cup. And he did such a marvellous job that week and really bonded with the guys. And, you know, we played a little golf since then. And he’s just a great dude. So, we can’t wait to get him back and get him back and healthy.”
The new player-caddie partnership got off to a strong start at the first event of the FedEx Cup playoffs, with Cantlay firing an opening round of 68 to get him to three-under and in a tie for tenth.
The American, alongside LaCava, gets his second round at Liberty National Golf Course underway at 18:06 (BST).
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