Sure, in professional golf, where players are prone to making errors in club selection or execution, a caddie’s word is gold, but for Jordan Spieth’s caddie, that responsibility is even greater. However, there are some limitations to these powers.

During his March 26 appearance on Golf Digest’s Ask The Expert series, Ted Scott, Scottie Scheffler’s caddie, addressed a few questions that fans have been asking on social media. One question among them was how to stop a player from making a bad decision. And that led to a revelation about Spieth and Phil Mickelson’s rules. 

“If it’s Jordan Spieth or Phil Mickelson, they give their caddie a veto for the year. So, you can really only stop him one time per year, depending on your player,” the caddie said.  

But caddying for the world number one, Scottie Scheffler, is relatively easier. 

“If it’s someone like Scottie Scheffler, probably could stop him a lot. But he doesn’t really make bad decisions,” Scott continued. “I mean, he chose me as a caddie. That’s the best decision he ever made, right?”

Earlier in 2015, Jordan Spieth acknowledged Greller as his right-hand man and the only other person with the power to influence what happens on the course. But most of the time, Spieth believes that he can hit any shot. And usually, he succeeds. But the times he doesn’t, it has cost him.

Buried in the rough on Thursday last year at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, the smart play for Jordan Spieth was to chip out sideways back to the fairway—and that’s exactly what his caddie suggested. Instead, the 32-year-old attempted a shot that struck a tree and bounced slightly backward, leaving him with an even worse lie against the grain and in thick grass—one that was nearly impossible to play.

To put it into context, the fairway was only 115 yards away.

“Why don’t you hit it right there?” his caddie asked, indicating a chip out to the left.

But Spieth didn’t listen to him.

However, there are a few instances when he agrees with his caddie, Michael Greller, like the time he switched to a 3-wood at the 2024 Sentry event. It was indeed the first time Spieth agreed to such a switch. But do you know what Spieth thinks of the vetoes? 

Jordan Spieth weighs in on the intricate relationship between him and his caddie

At the 2021 AT&T Byron Nelson, Spieth hit a poor a tee shot at the par-5 12th. The drive was beyond 300 yards, but it landed in a tricky spot. Of course, Spieth consulted Greller for guidance. But he also took the blame upon himself. 

“Yeah, in that situation, everybody and their caddie is gonna discuss what to do. You’ve got a chance to either gain strokes or lose strokes with a decision, and I think for Michael it helped him when I said, This one is on me. I hear you. I know the risk. I’m going to take it, and it’s on me,” Spieth said.

“I think both of us really like when we are committed, and in saying that, whether he’s going to say I veto, this is a bad decision, you just made a bogey, trying to get it back kind of thing. That was more I feel good about the lie, and I was thinking clearly and just said, This one is on me,” he added.

At the end of the day, the final decision lies with the players themselves. But with the caddies’ observant and often accurate assessment, the players can make better decisions that are best for their game.