Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay is one of the most famous and indeed most venerated caddies working currently. After spending two decades at the peak of his career with Phil Mickelson, he briefly worked as an analyst for NBC. But when Justin Thomas called, it didn’t take long for the 58-year-old to get back to his previous job.

Not that he needed to. He had comfortably settled into the analyst role with a steady and hefty paycheck. But then again, the thrills of staying between the ropes are what were missing in his life. So, Justin Thomas didn’t have to push too hard to convince the legendary bagman.

How did Justin Thomas rope in Jim Bones Mackay?

Thomas was looking for a trusted bagman after his long-time caddie, Jimmy Johnson, resigned. Mackay was his first choice, since the two had worked together before. The veteran bagman looped for the 15-time PGA Tour winner at the 2020 FedEx St.Jude Invitational. Mackay was impressed, even though he stayed with the 30-year-old for only a few weeks.

“There were always three or four guys initially when I started in TV, that I felt if they got in touch, you’d have to take a serious look at it. That dwindled to three, and then two. And then it just became one,” said Mackay to Sports Illustrated. In fact, he also told his wife that if Justin Thomas ever comes calling, he has to rethink his analyst job because “there’s something about him as a person and a player that I really, really like.’’

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Fortunately, the 2022 PGA Championship winner called just in time. The 58-year-old was almost on the verge of signing an extension with NBC as an analyst; otherwise, Thomas wasn’t sure, but he knew he had a chance. Mackay didn’t wait long before saying yes.

They are yet to replicate the stellar success that Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay had with Mickelson. So far, Justin Thomas has won the 2022 PGA Championship after partnering with Phil Mickelson’s former looper.

Jim Bones Mackay had a long-running relationship with Phil Mickelson.

Mickelson roped in a young Mackay in 1992, the year he turned pro. Lefty, by that time, already had a PGA Tour title under his belt, winning the 1991 Northern Telecom Open as an amateur. Mackay revealed at that time that his only desire was to be part of the Ryder Cup. As of now, the veteran bagman has made 12 Ryder Cup appearances. Interestingly, Mackay once embarrassed himself in front of his employer in his early days.

The story dates back to 1993. In the final round of a tournament, Mackay had to walk through a tunnel to reach the 17th green. To speed up, the veteran looper thought it best to cross the hill rather than walk through the tunnel. “All of a sudden, I see my ankles and my feet right in front of my face,” he said. “I tumble the last 30 or 40 feet. Get up, dust myself off, pick up the golf bag. I swear to you, there were six clubs in it. So now I have to find the other eight,” the veteran golfer recounted in an episode of The Scoop.

Phil Mickelson was aghast to see his caddie covered in mud with blood dripping from his lips. With a genuinely concerned look, Lefty asked if Mackay had been mugged somehow. He didn’t mind after listening to the full story. Fortunately, Mickelson also went on to win the tournament. They would go on to rake in a total of 41 titles in their two-decade-long partnership. 

Why did Phil Mickelson fire Mackay?

While parting, Lefty released a statement saying, “After 25 very rewarding and memorable years, Bones and I have mutually decided to end our player-caddie relationship.” It was a shocker for the golf world. John Wood, another veteran caddie turned commentator, called it like his “parents were splitting up.”

But Alan Shipnuck, a veteran sports writer and author of “Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorised!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colourful Superstar,” called it total “bull****.” Per Shipnuck, Mackay decided to split up with Lefty because of some long-standing grievances. Apparently, Mickelson ‘owed’ his caddie $900,000 that he failed to pay up over a decade. Furthermore, Mackay was fading up with Mickelson’s habit of keeping the 18th hole flags after every victory.

Moreover, when Mickelson finally returned the flagpoles, he signed them in large letters, riling Mackay further. To top that, the 45-time PGA Tour winner turned up late despite promising his caddie to arrive at a specific time. Although Shipnuck indicated that the split wasn’t amicable, both the player and Caddie have refused to comment on the matter. 

Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay, for most of his life, has avoided controversies, save one. At the 2023 Ryder Cup, Rory McIlroy’s bust-up with Patrick Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava, spilled over to the parking lot. Unfortunately, it was Mackay who was at the receiving end of McIlroy on Saturday. However, the Northern Irishman has since then apologized to the veteran looper, revealing Mackay was “just in the wrong place in the wrong time.” Mackay is now at the famous Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course, looping for Justin Thomas in the Valspar Championship.

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