It’s been a revolving door of caddies for Collin Morikawa this season. The veteran has been trying to find his footing since the start of the year — and although there have been some hits and misses, the consistency that gave Morikawa his name has been tapering off. With a fifth caddie change this year, the veteran American has shaken hands with Mark Urbanek.

Who is Mark Urbanek? Collin Morikawa’s current caddie

Collin Morikawa’s new caddie is Mark Urbanek, who joined him during practice sessions for the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Urbanek grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, and played collegiate golf at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. Since then, he has maintained a scratch golf handicap. His greatest golf memory, when asked by The Caddie Network, was, “Shooting a course record 62 to win my home course club championship.“

This is what gave way to an enriching career spanning over a decade. His caddying stint started with the likes of James Hahn, Charlie Wi, and Matt Davidson, and it wasn’t until Hahn’s first victory at the 2015 Northern Trust Open that the spotlight turned on Urbanek. 5 years later, he partnered up with Tony Finau, his longest and most fruitful run.

Mark Urbanek joined Finau’s team at the 2020 PGA Championship, and in less than two years with Urbanek on the bag, the veteran American captured five PGA Tour victories! Their first breakthrough came at the 2021 Northern Trust, ending Finau’s five-year winless drought. This was followed by additional wins, including back-to-back trophies at the 2022 3M Open and the Rocket Mortgage Classic, plus the 2023 Mexico Open, where Finau defeated Jon Rahm by three strokes.

“I’m 10 years older than him, but I look up to him. He’s the real deal…what he’s been able to accomplish and how humble he is, he’s just an unbelievable human. He’s an unbelievable golfer, obviously, but as a person, it’s fun to be around him, and I look up to him myself,” Urbanek said about Finau, after their 3M Open victory.

Together, the duo has racked up nearly $28 million in earnings. With the standard caddie cut hovering around 5-10 percent, depending on the finish, Urbanek’s share would likely have been somewhere around a whopping $1.5 million. Being a dedicated caddy, Urbanek also followed Finau outside of the regular tour events, especially during the 2021 Ryder Cup.

Although the specific reasons for the Finau-Urbanek duo to part ways have not officially been explained, this separation reportedly happened during The Open Championship 2025. But regardless of the reason, it opened a window for Collin Morikawa, who ended his partnership with Billy Foster, and grabbed it. Urbanek was seen practicing with Morikawa in the early weeks of August, as reported by Jason Sobel on X.

In spite of the fact that Urbanek couldn’t help yield many results for Finau, this shouldn’t cast any doubt on the New Jerseyan’s ‘caddymanship‘. Mark Urbanek has been around the PGA Tour long enough to know the grind. And if history is anything to go by, he’s just what Morikawa needs.

Urbanek is Collin Morikawa’s fifth caddie this season. And it all started in April 2025, when he parted ways with JJ Jakovac.

The end of an era: JJ Jakovac’s long partnership

Since Collin turned professional in the summer of 2019, he has had only one person lifting his bags, JJ Jakovac, until April 2025. This ended an era, as the two had spent six years together.

Marikowa and Jakovac connected during a U.S. Open qualifier in Ohio during the former’s early career. The 2-times major winner valued Jakovac’s organizational skills and calm presence on the course. “The only question I asked J.J. was if he’s organized,” said Marikowa to Golfweek.

The split came as a surprise to all golf fans because of the success they had achieved together. Morikawa and Jakovac were hailed as having one of the best player-caddie partnerships. They were together for all six PGA Tour victories Morikawa has under his belt, including the two major wins.

The 6-time PGA Tour winner scored 13-under-par 267 to win the 2020 PGA Championship by two strokes. He made a chip-in birdie on the 14th hole from 54 feet. In the final round, his four birdies and an eagle helped seal the deal. Jakovac was also there during his second major victory at the 2021 Open Championship, when he beat Jordan Spieth and Louis Oosthuizen by two strokes.

Parting ways wasn’t an easy decision for any of them. Speaking to Dan Rapaport’s ‘Dan On Golf Show,’ Collin said, “It wasn’t an easy talk and I hope all the best for him. I hope guys are lining up for him because, look, if you look at his resume, if you look at what we’ve done just simply over the past six years, it’s incredible.”

The decision to part ways was primarily driven by Morikawa’s feeling that he needed a “fresh dynamic” on the bag to move his career forward. He then replaced Jakovac with Joe Greiner, a veteran caddie. However, the change affected his performance, but in a negative way.

How Morikawa’s Performance Has Trended During the Caddie Transitions

While Collin transitioned to Joe Greiner, hoping for a fresh dynamic, their partnership never clicked. During their time together, Collin was able to make cuts in all five tournaments he played. However, his performance was average at best. His best finish during his tenure was T17 at the Truist Championship.

He then parted ways with Greiner, too, and replaced him with KK Limbhasut. “Sometimes, things just don’t feel right,” Morikawa told reporters about the change. “Joe’s an amazing caddie, but we were on different pages. It’s not about right or wrong — it just didn’t work for me.”

KK Limbhasut was a former college teammate from Cal Berkeley. He was also playing on the Korn Ferry Tour when he started caddying for Marikowa. Since then, he has changed two more caddies before partnering with Urbanek. His performance has been volatile all this time. However, there have been some improvements recently. His T43 finish at the 2025 Procore Championship shows ongoing adjustments with the new caddie.

Collin’s 2025 season marks significant challenges and regular changes. He has entered the 2025 Ryder Cup with Mark at his side. Has their partnership become stronger since they started together? We can say that his Ryder Cup performance at Bethpage Black will tell us a lot about the transition.