Is the 2024 PGA Tour season for the underdogs? Observing the last five victories on the Tour, the answer might come out as yes. From the Kapalua Plantation Course in Hawaii to the Torrey Pines last week, there has not been a single past winner who won the title. At the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am as well, it seems that an unexpected member might win.

Thomas Detry, who has not won the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour yet, is leading the field after two rounds. The exceptional run of the 31-year-old can be credited to his new looper. Who is the looper of the Belgian golfer at Pebble Beach?

When did Thomas Detry start with his new caddy?

Thomas Detry debuted in 2016 and made his way on the higher circuits in the next few years. Although he joined the PGA Tour only in 2023, he had won the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup (a team event) but never won an individual title.

The Belgian golfer is closer to his maiden victory and it might be because of his new bagman, Lee Warne, at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Before his tie-up with Warne, Detry had JP Fitzgerald on his bag. From June 2022 to somewhere in 2023, Fitzgerald and Detry were together. However, because of health issues, Fitzgerald was replaced by Lee Warne.

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During the 2023 season, the 31-year-old was accompanied by a different looper. On May 11, 2023, Detry played his first event with Lee Warne. The duo played the Soudal Open, and the golfer finished 7th, another top-10 performance at the European Tour. At that time, Detry said about Warne, “I want to play a few tournaments with Lee alongside me to see if there is any chemistry between us.”

The chemistry has probably settled, as they are closer to completing a year. In the last nine months, Detry has had five top-35 performances on the DP World Tour and four on the PGA Tour. This is the first time that Detry is in contention compared to the last season; the sudden change could be attributed to his caddie change to Lee Warne. Before Detry, Warne had been on a 10x DP World Tour winner’s bag.

Pro golfers for whom Lee Warne has caddied before

The most renowned partnership of Lee Warne was with the Swedish golfer Alex Noren. Warne started working with Noren in the 2016 season. While caddying for Noren, Waren guided the Scandinavian golfer to four victories in the same year. Noren won the Scottish Open, the European Masters, the British Masters, and the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

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The next year was followed by immense success as well. Warne was also a greenkeeper before becoming a full-time caddie. He used to work at the Wentworth Golf Course, which also holds the BMW PGA Championship. Under Warne’s expertise, the Swede won the event in 2017 by hitting a record 62 in the final round.

In 2018, Warne accompanied Noren for the 42nd Ryder Cup at Le Golf National GC, where Team Europe won. The same year, Noren won his last victory with Warne’s help at the HNA Open de France. The duo ended their partnership in mid-season, that too abruptly, and then Warne returned to the bag of now-LIV Golf player Lee Westwood.

Warne used to caddie for Westwood when his son and wife were unable to carry his bag. During that period, he used to be a looper for Branden Grace as well. They won the Puerto Rico Open in 2021 by one stroke over Jhonattan Vegas. The most recent gig of Warne before Detry was with the Danish golfer, Nicolai Hojgaard.

The partnership with Hojgaard was cut short as he changed his caddie to Christian Christensen. Warne’s partnership with Detry is relatively new, and the two may go one step further and achieve what Detry could not in the past decade. Will Thomas Detry take his first win under Warne’s guidance? Stay tuned to find out!

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