A lot has changed in seven years on the PGA Tour. But since Viktor Hovland finished tied for 54th at the 2019 Travelers Championship (his very first professional start), one thing has stayed the same: The man walking beside him, carrying his bags.

Shay Knight has been there for all of it. For Knight, who was born and raised in Sydney, Australia, golf was not even a passing thought in his youth. He wanted to play rugby for the North Sydney Bears and even became the club's ballboy for three years. But the dream ended after an accident.

Knight used to play golf with his friend Matt Jones at The Australian Golf Club before Jones left for the United States. Years later, Jones called him back when he was struggling on the Nationwide Tour.

It was the start. And now, according to Go Caddie, Knight's philosophy is based on one thing.

“Once the shot is done, it's over. Good or bad, we close that chapter before we walk. Emotional carry-over costs more shots than swing flaws,” Knight said, per Go Caddie.

Since then, over the years, Knight has caddied for Aron Price, Martin Laird, Chez Reavie, Jerry Kelly, and Sean O'Hair before Hovland hired him in 2019 after becoming a pro.

In seven years, Knight and Hovland have built one of the most decorated partnerships in recent PGA Tour history with 11 professional titles.

It started with the 2020 Puerto Rico Open, where Hovland became the first Norwegian to ever win on the PGA Tour. Later that year, he won the Mayakoba Golf Classic.

He won two Hero World Classics after that. Then came 2023, when Hovland won three times, including the Memorial Tournament, the BMW Championship, and the Tour Championship. In the same year, he helped Team Europe win the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone.

Knight was also on the bag for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, where Team Europe won again in 2025. He was also beside Hovland when he ended a 18 months drought to win the Valspar Championship in 2025.

As Hovland chased his eighth PGA Tour title at TPC River Highlands, the exact course where the pair began their journey during Hovland's 2019 professional debut, Knight was right there looping for the seasoned pro.

How Hovland found his caddie

The introduction happened thanks to another PGA Tour pro, Rickie Fowler’s caddie, Joe Skovron.

Skovron knew Knight from the tour and knew Hovland, who, like Fowler, had played college golf at Oklahoma State, was about to leave amateur golf behind and needed a full-time looper.

He thought they would be a good match, and he was right.

"Joe called me," Knight told The Caddie Network.

"It was no secret that Viktor would be turning pro at some point this year. Like Viktor, Rickie went to OSU — there's a strong contingent of OSU guys on the PGA Tour...Joe asked me if I'd have any interest in caddying for Viktor when the decision to turn pro was official, and my answer, obviously, was yes."

From then on, Knight was more than just a caddie for Hovland. Every year at the Masters, Knight wakes up early and stands in line at the Augusta National to buy gnomes for Hovland's family in Norway.

Before Knight, Alan Bratton was Hovland's coach and caddie during the amateur days.

What do you think of Viktor Hovland and Shay Knight’s incredible partnership? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Md Saife Fida

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore