Nelly Korda didn't find her caddie through a tryout or an interview. She found him through her sister's caddie's friend group, and it turned into one of the most enduring partnerships in women's golf.

Jason McDede has caddied for Korda since the start of the 2018 season, her second year on the LPGA Tour.

He's also a husband, a father, and, in one of golf's stranger coincidences, was once engaged to a player competing directly against his own boss for a tournament title.

Korda explained the connection in an interview with Claire Rogers on GOLF's "The Scoop."

"My rookie year, I was kind of looking for a caddy for the next year on tour, and my sister's old caddy, Kyle number one, she had a caddy number two, but Kyle number one was really good friends with Jason," Korda said. "I guess, you know, they kind of talked him into it. Best decision he's ever made."

That partnership was tested at the 2019 Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA tournament, where Korda's three-putt bogeys on holes 14, 15, and 17 allowed Caroline Masson and Minjee Lee to catch her.

Masson, McDede's fiancée at the time, took a one-shot lead into the final hole. After she made par and both Korda and Lee birdied, the trio headed to a playoff, leaving McDede's fiancée as Korda's direct competition for the title.

"A couple close friends had some funny comments, but Caroline and myself have been apart for almost four years on the golf course, so we're very independent when it comes to both of our jobs," McDede told The Caddie Network.

Korda won the playoff by making a birdie on the first extra hole. She said McDede's encouragement on the 18th green during regular play helped her stay focused.

She added, "I wouldn't be where I am without Jason. He kept me in the game."

McDede's life off the course has grown right alongside Korda's career

McDede married Masson, and the couple welcomed their son, Benton David McDede, in April 2023, naming him after Bentonville, Arkansas, where Caroline learned she was pregnant, according to LPGA.com.

"Bentonville is where Caroline found out she was pregnant," Jason said. "Our two biggest things in our life, our dog and our son, we found in Bentonville, Ark."

Benton was born while McDede was caddying for Korda at the JM Eagle LA Championship. Nearly 4,000 miles away, he shared a photo of his newborn son with Korda, who replied, “Congratulations! I hope you’re on a plane, right?”

McDede now regularly travels on tour with his young son, Benton, who has already visited multiple countries and cities while accompanying his father to golf events around the world.

The LPGA Child Development Center is also part of their routine and gives the family a place to stay and settle during tournament weeks.

Do you think player-caddie relationships like Korda and McDede's are rare on tour? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav