Even After Their Split, Phil Mickelson Never Lost Respect for Bones: "First Person to Show Up"
May 26, 2017; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Phil Mickelson gets direction from his caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay before teeing off on the 9th hole during the second round of the Dean & Deluca Invitational golf tournament at Colonial Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports
May 26, 2017; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Phil Mickelson gets direction from his caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay before teeing off on the 9th hole during the second round of the Dean & Deluca Invitational golf tournament at Colonial Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports
Golf professional relationships can be quite complicated at times, but the long-lasting collaboration between Phil Mickelson and Jim "Bones" Mackay surpasses the typical connection between a player and a caddie.
Despite the choice to move on from one another, the left-handed star continues to have an invaluable admiration for his lifelong caddie.
Speaking on the Dan Patrick Show, Mickelson opened up about why he never lost respect for his former caddie after a quarter-century together on the greens.
"When I went through the most difficult time in my life when Amy was going through her battle with cancer, the first person to show up was Bones," Mickelson shared.
Mickelson's memory of how Mackay had appeared during those difficult days stayed with him and became a testament to his definition of true friendship.
"That really taught me a lot because what I learned through that process is when people are going through a tough time, you just show up," Lefty added.
Indeed, this act of off-course solidarity is a testimony of their unshakable teamwork that brought remarkable achievements on the course before their silent parting ways.
A quarter-century of historic triumphs
The famous pairing between the player and the caddie started in 1992, during the challenging qualification rounds of the U.S. Open held in Memphis.
Together, in the period they played together, they won three Masters tournaments (2004, 2006, 2010), a PGA Championship in 2005, and an Open Championship in 2013.
In 25 successful years of play, they won an astounding 41 wins on the PGA tour and participated in 22 successive tournaments as a team.
Eventually, they called it quits together in 2017, realizing that it was the right time for them to move on in their respective careers.
The caddying job was taken over by Mickelson's brother, Tim, that year, thus allowing Mickelson to spend more time with his family.
Afterwards, Mackay shifted to on-course broadcast commentary, with a golf IQ that continues to be revered all around the world.
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Written by
Abhishek Sharma
Edited by
Suyashdeep Sason