The game of golf is ever-changing and ever-evolving. For a golfer to win a particular match, he not only requires excellent skills but also a reliable caddy. The pair can go on to win various majors and tournaments. Two of the prominent caddie-golfer partnerships in professional golf are Tiger Woods and Steve Williams and Rory McIlroy and JP Fitzgerald.

A budding caddie-golfer partnership we can notice is of Talor Keith Gooch and Malcolm Baker. Baker has been Talor’s caddie for his whole career. The duo go back to the time when Gooch made his debut on the PGA Tour. Even after shifting to LIV Golf, Baker did not leave Gooch alone. So who is he?

Who is Talor Gooch’s caddie Malcolm Baker?

Malcolm Baker is a former professional golfer who became a caddie in 1996. The Australian-born has previously caddied for Ian Baker-Finch at the Masters and for Tom Hoge right when he debuted in 2014. Baker has an experience of 28 years and has seen all the curves of the game of golf.

The caddie joined Talor Gooch from the start of his career. Gooch turned professional in 2014 and he got his PGA Tour card after winning the Knoxville Open in 2017. The golfer has had Baker caddying for him for the last six years. With Baker on his bag, Gooch has bagged 1 PGA Tour victory at the RSM Classic in Georgia and three LIV Golf events. 

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Mal has a handicap of two, which shows his golfing skills are not much swayed away from a professional golfer. The caddy had a passion for making big in his professional career. As he said on the Caddie Network, he would prefer being a golfer as an alternative career choice, citing it as better than caddying. The fruit has not fallen far from the tree, as he is still on the course, just not playing.

He is now accompanying Gooch for the ultimate event, LIV Golf Jeddah. Formerly, his expertise has helped Gooch in strenuous and stressful moments. When Gooch won the LIV Golf Adelaide, he credited his caddie and said, “His green-reading ability out here is incredible.” Furthermore, the American golfer was in awe of Baker and said, “His constant mentality and emotions, just how he conducts himself in those moments are huge for me for keeping me calm and making things easier than what they feel like they are in the moment.” Baker returned the compliment and said, “He’s a great golfer but even a better person.”

It seems that the duo are appreciative of each other and that enhances the game on course. The Australian caddie lives in Dallas, Texas, as of now. Talking to the Caddie Network, Baker has shared his desired foursome pairing, including Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, and Clint Eastwood. After graduating from Corpus Christi College, Mal played cricket and football as a youngster. His favorite teams are the Dallas Cowboys and the West Coast Eagles from Australia.

Mal Baker’s loyalty to Talor Gooch

Gooch departed from the PGA Tour in late June 2022, after he played at the LIV Golf London and got suspended from the PGA Tour. He had exclaimed his wish of “coming back.” Even after a controversial year, Baker did not leave his side and moved with him to the new league. 

Read More: Just Days Before LIV Golf Jeddah Bryson DeChambeau’s Unambiguous Revelation Leaves Talor Gooch in Envy

Baker’s loyalty has proved to be useful as Talor won three times on the LIV Golf. Traditionally he would have gotten a 10 percent. When Gooch won the LIV Golf Singapore earlier in May in back-to-back events, he bagged a whopping $8 million. 

We assume Baker took a 10 percent share and earned way more than PGA Tour caddies. Being on LIV Golf has its benefits and no one can deny that money is never a problem for a PIF-backed league. This is the primary reason most of the PGA Tour’s golfers accepted the offer. 

Baker had also commented on the OWGR’s exclusion of the LIV Golf from the ranking of November 2022 on The Caddie Network. He said that not having the talented golfer from LIV Golf in the world ranking “delegitimizes” the system. The recent rejection by OWGR may have come as a shocker and we can only guess at what may have transpired in the LIV Golf Jeddah locker rooms. 

Watch This Story: ‘OWGR Has Failed’: Golf Fans Left Divided After Bryson DeChambeau Suffers a Major Setback Despite His Win