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Phil Mickelson's Ex-Caddie Did Something Awesome for J.J. Spaun After U.S. Open Win

Andy Nesbitt

J.J. Spaun and his caddie will never forget their Sunday at the 2025 U.S. Open.
J.J. Spaun and his caddie will never forget their Sunday at the 2025 U.S. Open. / Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

J.J. Spaun won the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont in dramatic fashion on Sunday, draining a 64-foot putt on the final hole that sent the place into hysterics. It also led to a great celebration by Spaun and his caddie, Mark Carens, who shared a special hug just moments after the ball fell into the hole.

One of the traditions in professional golf is the winning caddie usually takes home the flag from the 18th green so they can always remember the victory. On Sunday, Carens didn't get a chance to snag the flag after the winning putt because there was still one more group of players who had to finish up.

Phil Mickelson's old caddie, the great Jim "Bones" Mackay, was following that final group for NBC and when they were done he made sure he got that flag for Carens. Here he is bringing it back to the clubhouse:

That's a pretty cool move there my Mackay, who knows how special it is to be on the bag for a major championship victory.

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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

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