Caddies are an integral part of golf. We all know that, but the PGA Tour hasn’t always been known to take good care of the bagmen. LIV, on the other side, is said to be treating caddies equally well. John Daly called this out in his latest chat with Hardrock Bet.

“When the LIV players are traveling, it’s luxurious the way they travel. They take care of the caddies, they take care of everything, and it’s something that we’ve always talked about. I wish the tour would take a little more care of our caddies because they’re a necessity—we need them. That would be a motto. I wish the PGA Tour would look after the caddies a lot more than it does. They do a pretty good job, but they can do a hell of a lot better. The LIV Tour is over the top with the caddies,” the two-time major winner said, aiming at how the traditional tour treats its hard-working caddies.

Now, a million-dollar question remains: Are the bagmen on the rebel tour actually living a much better life? On the traditional tour, these loopers work as independent contractors and must pay for their own living expenses. If a player misses the cut on Friday, the caddie’s work week ends.  They receive their base fee, but they earn $0 in performance bonuses. And they only get above the base money if the player make the cut.

Traditionally, if the player wins the tournament, the caddie receives ten percent of the overall player earnings. And for a top ten finish, a caddie gets seven percent, and for anything else, it’s five percent. But they need to spend so much money every single year on flights, hotels, and even rental cars in any condition, and it is a massive burden that falls entirely on their own shoulders while they chase a small weekly base salary.

In contrast, the LIV Golf covers every single travel expense, including fancy hotels and delicious meals for the entire week. Plus, they have no cuts, so everyone earns a paycheck even if they finish last. This guaranteed income provides a safety net that simply does not exist on the PGA Tour.

And it’s not just the money; the emotional weight of being a second-class citizen is much heavier for many.

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From clubhouse shadows to the captain’s table

Legendary bagman Billy Foster, who once carried the bags for Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, and Matt Fitzpatrick, shared some very shocking stories about his long time on the main tour. He told Rick Shiels that he sometimes felt treated like a rat tied outside the fancy clubhouse. “You eat with the players because you’re not treated like a rat tied outside the clubhouse, which I’ve most of my career you weren’t allowed in the clubhouse outside the locker room,” Foster said.

Dustin Johnson’s brother and his caddie, Austin Johnson, also shared something similar, saying, “You feel more included. The little stuff, like just being able to go into the player dining and eat, and my wife can go in there and hang out and they let her go in all the club and get some air conditioning and get a snack, stuff like that.”

Chris Rice, who currently handles the heavy bag for Harold Varner III and loves the new and relaxed vibe noticed that everyone has a smile because the fear of the Friday cut is finally gone now. “There’s obviously no cut, which helps. That’s why everyone’s got a smile on their face because, on the PGA Tour, you’re playing for your livelihood,” Rice shared.

This difference reached a boiling point back in 2015 when eighty-two caddies filed a massive class-action lawsuit. Mike Hicks led the group against the tour because they felt like walking billboards for huge global sponsors. They argued that the bibs they wore earned the tour fifty million dollars in advertising every single year. Yet, the hard-working men on the course received exactly zero dollars from that massive sponsor money.

A very sad incident during a rain delay at the Barclays in 2013 also fueled their deep anger. Security guards reportedly forced caddies and their families out of a dry shelter and into the cold rain.

John Daly is right that the new league is way ahead in giving luxury and respect to loopers. But most recently PGA also taking some big steps to close the gap.

They started a new health plan in 2025 that offers nine thousand dollars to help cover insurance costs. Eligible workers can get seven hundred and fifty dollars every month to keep their families healthy and safe. The tour also added more relief stations and improved the quality of the food in the lounge. And in partnership with the James Hardie program, the PGA Tour Championship also created a special bonus pool to pay some extra money to the caddies.