Jim 'Bones' Mackay Drops The Mic, Goes Back On The Bag
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – It is places such as Riviera and tournaments filled with superstars like the Genesis Invitational that, in part, brought him back. Jim Mackay didn’t need to do this. He wanted to do this.
The longtime caddie, who goes by the nickname “Bones’’ and had his memorable share of walks around this iconic course in Southern California with former boss Phil Mickelson, was perfectly comfortable in his role as an on-course reporter for NBC and Golf Channel.
But Justin Thomas lured him back between the ropes late last year and Mackay said the decision to leave the comfort of a full-time job was not difficult.
“Caddying gets in your blood,’’ said Mackay, 56, who caddied for Mickelson for 25 years before the two decided to part ways in the summer of 2017. “I have to admit, I’m spoiled. I did it for a number of years, a long time for one of the greatest players in the history of the game.
“I think, more than anything, it’s those moments. It’s those weeks. It’s the Ryder Cup. It’s the Masters. The British Open at St Andrews. It’s Torrey Pines in beautiful weather. It’s just those moments. And there’s something to be said for the thrill of the chase. If you’re out here on Sunday and you have one of the last tee times, that buzz you feel as a caddie, at least in my experience, is one of the coolest things ever.’’
Mackay figures to have plenty of those with Thomas, the No. 8-ranked player in the world who has won 14 times, including the 2017 PGA Championship and last year’s Players Championship.
In fact, Mackay followed the entire final-round with Thomas, who hit the first 17 greens in regulation at TPC Sawgrass, barely missed the 18th on the fringe and shot a final-round 64 to win.
“It was awesome,’’ Mackay said. “I had an incredible job.’’
And it was one that by nearly all accounts he was excelling at. The ultimate judge was his boss at NBC, Tommy Roy, who first had the idea to try Mackay and another veteran caddie, John Wood, at a late season event several years to see how they would fare while both were still caddies.
That experiment worked well enough that when Mackay and Mickelson parted ways, a job offer was not far behind, later in 2017. Wood also went to work for NBC after leaving his bag with Matt Kuchar.
“There were some learning curves,’’ said Roy, NBC’s lead golf producer since 1993. “Especially the mechanics of when you talk and all that stuff. He just got better and better. He thinks like a producer. He knows what to say. What’s interesting. It’s not just yardage and club. It’s the whole situation.
“What I like about what Bones does is he’s thinking about the strategy. Not just how to execute. But the strategy of where you are on the golf course, where you are on a particular hole. Do you lay up, can you give it a go? It’s not just giving the yardage.’’
Mackay was actually on the verge of signing a new deal to continue with NBC and Golf Channel when Thomas called. It was just a few days following the U.S. victory at the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits – where Mackay had worked for NBC – when Thomas reached out after his longtime caddie, Jimmy Johnson, decided to resign the job he had from nearly the time Thomas turned pro.
Thomas had experience with Mackay, who had worked for him several years ago at the Sony Open and again in 2020 when Johnson had a health issue that required him to take a few weeks off. During that stretch, Thomas won the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis. Mackay stayed on for the following week’s delayed PGA Championship as well as the FedEx Cup playoffs.
“There were always three or four guys initially when I started in TV that I felt if they got in touch, you’d have to take a serious look at it,’’ Mackay said. “That dwindled to three and then two. And then it just became one. Not in a million years did I think it was going to come around. But when Justin called me, I was surprised as anybody. And he was the one.
“I had told my wife if Justin Thomas ever calls me, I’ve got some thinking to do. Because there’s something about him as a person and a player that I really, really like.’’
If there is a risk for Mackay, it is simply in the uncertainty that comes with caddying. Typically, there is no guaranteed pay. It’s a commission-based job, and while he is working for one of the game’s top players, nothing is certain. At NBC, Mackay had a salary with benefits, along with travel and meal expenses. Caddies pay their own way.
Thomas said he was unsure what the answer would be when he approached Mackay but felt confident. “I didn’t feel I was going to have to get on my hands and knees and beg,’’ he joked. “At the end of the day, every decision needs to be a little selfish and if it made sense for him, then it would make sense for us and I’m glad that he did it.’’
So far, there has been measured success, but no victories – yet. In six events going back to last fall’s CJ Cup, there have been four top-10s and no finish worse than a tie for 20th. Thomas is coming off a tie for 8th at the WM Phoenix Open.
“It’s been great,’’ Thomas said. “It’s like a new relationship, you’re always wanting to do something to get it better. We’re talking quite often. Not as much anymore versus the first handful of events -- what did I do this week that I could do better next week? What did I do that you didn’t like?
“Now we’re just getting comfortable enough where we kind of just go. He knows my tendencies, I know his. And he was with his old boss for a really long time and I was with Jimmy for a really long time and you get used to how the pro and caddie, just their mannerisms. We still have a long way to go, but we’re getting more and more comfortable.’’
Mackay was with Mickelson from the beginning, at his first event as a pro at the 1992 U.S. Open through the Greenbrier tournament in 2017. Along the way, he was on the bag for five major titles and a total of 41 PGA Tour victories.
Mackay was a good enough player to have competed at Columbus (Ga.) College, an NCAA Division II school. He became exposed to caddying in college and “thought it was the greatest thing in the world.’’ He met former Masters champion Larry Mize at Green Island CC in Columbus and was prepared to begin his professional caddie career. He had been offered a job after graduation around 1988 at Synovus Bank, which was headquartered in Columbus. But he decided to trade a suit for a caddie bib.
“I asked for a two-year leave of absence before I ever went to work (at Synovus),’’ Mackay said. “The man who was the longtime CEO of that bank, James Blanchard, (was) a member at Augusta National. Every year he’d ask me when I’m going to report to work.’’
Mackay ventured into the real world nearly 30 years later. And decided to leave it.
“I think it’s fair to say that I was close to committing to a number of years (at NBC) and working there and being extremely happy to do it,’’ Mackay said. “It’s an incredible job to have. But you know, I sat on the first tee (three weeks ago) at Torrey Pines in incredible weather next to Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson. We’re in that group and there’s no risk in walking off the first tee in that kind of company.
“Also, my best friends are caddies. It’s a weird thing to walk away from something that is that amazing, I know. And TV is amazing.’’
Mackay will still get a taste of it from time to time. Because Thomas is not playing at next week’s Honda Classic or the following week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, Bones will work those weeks for NBC. Then he will be back on the bag for Thomas at the Players Championship and the Valspar Championship.
“I’m disappointed, but I understand,’’ Roy said about losing Mackay full-time. “He’s back doing what he loves to do. He’s out there to make history. And you can’t be upset with that.’’