Justin Thomas split with Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay, his caddie for three years. Announcing on social media, the PGA Tour pro said, “While incredibly difficult for me to say, Bones and I have parted ways. I’m going to be forever thankful for him joining me on the bag in 2021.” Bones, a veteran of 25 years, quit his NBC analyst job to caddie for Justin Thomas. 

Bones was most famous for his stint with Phil Mickelson, loping for Lefty for the majority of his PGA Tour career. While Thomas and Mackay were unable to replicate the knockout success in the last three years, they have their fair share of glory, nonetheless. 

Justin Thomas reclaimed the world-ranking throne with Mackay

Their first victory as a team came even before the two formally joined forces. Mackay filled in for Thomas’s then-regular caddie, Jimmy Johnson, who fell sick during the 2020 WGC-FedEx St.Jude Invitational. The 15-time PGA Tour winner earned the bragging rights over defending champion, Brooks Koepka. 

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Interestingly, the 30-year-old was paired with Phil Mickelson, Mackay’s former employer. That victory also propelled Justin Thomas to the number-one spot in the world golf ranking after two years.

Mackay triggered off a late Justin Thomas revival

The crowning moment of their partnership came at the 2022 PGA Championship. Heading to the final round, Justin Thomas was seven shots behind the leader, Mito Pereira. But a late blunder from the Chilean International and a spectacular final-round charge gave Thomas and Will Zalatoris a playoff chance. The 15-time PGA Tour winner prevailed over the 27-year-old.

Speaking after the victory, Thomas said, “I’m fully confident in saying that I wouldn’t be standing here if he [Mackay] didn’t give me that, wasn’t necessarily a speech, but a talk, if you will… I played pretty well for shooting four over and I felt like I’d played terrible. And he was just like, ‘dude, you’ve got to be stop being so hard on yourself. You’re in contention every single week we’re playing.” That, however, was the last piece of silverware they lifted together. But a year later, Mackay’s genius again came to Thomas’s rescue.

A peek inside Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay’s brain

The tricky dogleg of the par 4 8th at Harbour Town Golf Links was causing a massive headache for the 30-year-old. After hitting his tee shot some fifty yards behind the line of trees, Thomas was unsure whether to hook it or to rely on the mud to swerve it. Mackay reassured that a hook with a modest swing would land the ball in the right place around the rough. And that’s what Thomas eventually did at the 2023 RBC Heritage.

But the conversation picked up by NBC mics also showed that Mackay was considering taking advantage of an upcoming storm. That would have given the two-time Major champion a chance to clean the ball. Even NBC analyst, Frank Nobilo was impressed. “That’s clever. Because if they do blow the horn and there’s a threat that there is some weather, you would get to mark the ball and then clean it.”

“His wisdom on and off the course has been a blessing during a tough stretch of my career and he was there every step of the way,” wrote Justin Thomas in the parting message. The Jupiter resident didn’t mention who his next looper would be. Todd Lewis at Golf Channel floated Matt Minister’s name. Thomas has skipped the Valero Texas Open, opting directly to land in Georgia for the season’s first major. Thomas has two top-10s from his seven outings at the Augusta National.

One of the Greatest Caddies in the History of Golf, Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay Finally Reveals the Hilarious Story Behind His Famous Nickname