Ryo Hisatsune’s rise on the PGA Tour hasn’t been a solo act. Behind the calm putting stroke and steady finishes sits his bagman, William Spencer, whose influence shows up in small, almost unnoticed moments. Notably, the quiet routines, perfect timing, and the experience he brings have kept pressure from creeping in. Let’s find out more about Ryo Hisatsune’s caddie William Spencer.

Ryo Hisatsune’s caddie, William Spencer’s, early life and childhood

William Spencer also sometimes goes by the name Billy Spencer, and his nickname is Spence, which he says is not original at all. He was born and brought up in Toronto, Ontario, where he attended Aurora High School. He was in the class of 1993. After that, he went to Carleton University for further studies. He joined the college in 1994 and completed his education there in 1997. This is when he moved to Georgian College for the Business Administration and Management degree. The Canadian was at Georgian College until 1998.

Although he is caddying now, his sports journey started with hockey. He used to play hockey in college, and continues to play it regularly. Meanwhile, his golf passion began casually and soon became his professional career. That’s the reason why his golf handicap is 5.

Spencer’s greatest golf memory is not about the Masters or even with any professional he has caddied for. It is him playing the first full 18-hole alongside his dad and son Zack Henderson.

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Spencer’s caddie career

The Canadian’s interest in golf started with his first job. He used to perform golf course operations at Beacon Hall Golf Club, Aurora, Ontario, from 1993 to 2000. Besides that, his resume also includes doing the same job at the Eagles Nest Golf Club in Maple, Ontario.

It was between 1997 and 2000 that he started caddying for professional golfers. His career spans close to 3 decades. During this time, the PGA Tour caddie has worked with many professionals. Some of the noteworthy names include C.T. Pan, Daniel Berger, Stephan Jaeger, Jason Bohn, Bret Stegmaier, Will MacKenzie, Bo Van Pelt, Russell Henley, DH Lee, Tag Ridings, Doug LaBelle, Sungjae Im, and now Ryo Hisatsune.

Notably, William Spencer has spent the longest time with Jason Bohn. The two were together for around 12 to 13 years. He has also worked with Bo Van Pelt for nearly 4 years. He started with Im post-U.S. Open at Rocket Mortgage Classic, playing six straight events through the Tour Championship.

The Canadian emphasized communication with Im despite language barriers. Shot presentations and club confirmations were the weapons in their arsenal for communicating with each other. In a conversation on the TeeTalk podcast, Spencer highlighted Im’s confidence in flagged yardages over uncertain clubs. He also discussed their green-reading synergy, and tour prep like weather-based gear access.

Over his time working with different professionals, Ryo Hisatsune’s current caddie has also played alongside Tiger Woods.

“I’ve been out with Tiger a bunch, actually when I worked for Hank Kuehne back in the late 90s early 2000s, he practiced and played at Isleworth, which is where Tiger was a member,” William Spencer said in On The Screws Podcast. “So they would practice together a little bit. Obviously I was around him in a non-competitive environment and then I’ve been paired with them I’ve prepared with him a bunch of times.

This reflects on the significance of his caddying career. Now, he has joined hands with Ryo Hisatsune, who is playing exceptionally well at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open.

Hisatsune previously worked with Taiga Tabuchi and a few other caddies. However, he turned to William Spencer a few weeks ahead of May 2025. Although it has been a short time, the Japanese golfer is happy with the Canadian on his bag.

“He has good timing,” Hisatsune told Golf.com about Spencer. “Some caddies have [not], some forgot. But he’s doing very well.”

He was talking about his pre-putt routine of drinking water from his blue bottle. His caddie hands him the bottle, he takes a sip, and then hit the putt. That’s his routine.

William Spencer’s lifestyle

There’s not a lot of public information available about William Spencer’s lifestyle. But here’s what little is known about him.

Spencer splits offseason time between Toronto and Dallas. He also loves to coach youth hockey and assist local high school or college golfers. He favors backyard grilling, Tito’s vodka on ice, Mi Cocina restaurant, and Real Sports bar. Besides spending time as Ryo Hisatsune’s bagman, he spends time watching his son Zack Henderson play baseball.

The Canadian is a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, and has a soft spot for the movie Slapshot. Augusta National tops his caddie courses, while Colonial is his favorite to play.

William Spencer’s path from Canadian hockey rinks to the PGA Tour shows why his presence on Ryo Hisatsune’s bag carries real weight. As Hisatsune continues to push forward on golf’s biggest stage, Spencer’s experience, timing, and steady approach remain a quiet factor behind the results.