The New Star of the U.S. Amateur is a Lifelong Merion Caddy Enjoying the Walk

ARDMORE, Pa. -- It had been over half an hour since Carter Loflin won his U.S. Amateur quarterfinal match, and still the people waited. The mood was jubilant. The sun was warm. No one wanted this moment next to the 16th green at Merion Golf Club to end.

Only, most of the gaggle wasn’t waiting to congratulate Loflin. They were waiting to congratulate Jack Hopkins, his caddy.

Hopkins has been a caddy at Merion since 1978, with a few sojourns as a bartender at the Jersey Shore and a caddy master at a neighboring club. He’s a quiet man; soft-spoken and introspective, the rare person who thinks before they speak. He’s certainly not someone who seeks the spotlight. But the spotlight has found him this week and he's become one of the stars of the U.S. Amateur.

“I told Carter the whole caddy crew was out here rooting for him,” Hopkins says. “And I’ve known some of these members for so long. We have an amazing caddy crew and they’re all out here pulling for me and Carter. They're still here right now.”

There were over a dozen Merion caddies following Loflin and Hopkins today. Plenty of members did too. After Loflin beat Brandon Knight, 3 & 2, to advance to the U.S. Amateur semifinals, which will be played on Saturday at 2 PM ET, all of them waited to congratulate Hopkins.

There were handshakes and pats on the back, congratulatory remarks and reminders that the job’s not done yet. Hopkins soaked it all, often looking out in the distance, past the well-wishers, to some distant place where all of this makes sense.

He wasn’t exactly choking back tears, but the accolades clearly conjured emotions.

“This is the best experience I’ve had in golf,” Hopkins says. “It’s incredible. I never imagined anything like this.”

Hopkins started working at Merion when he was 12 years old.

“Didnt do a lot of caddying that year,” he says. “I was just learning.”

He learned fast and he learned well. He caddied for former Merion teaching professional Mark Sheftic in the 2013 PGA Championship. He caddied in the Curtis Cup when Merion hosted it in 2022. He caddied for Mark McDermott when he won the Philadelphia Amateur Championship at Merion in 2016. He's used to these tense moments.

"Jack is one of the quietest, most mild-mannered guys you’ll ever meet, and I think that’s an asset for a lot of players in big-time events like this," says Nate Oxman, who has caddied at Merion since 1995. "He certainly knows how to keep his player focused and calm. But he’s a competitive guy too and loves to be inside the ropes with a bag on his shoulder."

Hopkins didn’t caddy in the two U.S. Amateurs hosted at Merion since he started (1989, 2005) because of those aforementioned jobs, but he’s caddied at Merion on a part-time or full-time basis for over 40 years.

“This must be what Scottie feels like having Ted Scott,” Loflin jokes, referring to World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler’s caddy, known as one of the best and most knowledgeable on Tour, especially at the Masters. “I feel like I’m saving myself three shots before I tee the ball up.”

Hopkins's knowledge came in handy during Loflin’s quarterfinal win, especially on approach. Putting your ball in the right quadrant of the green at Merion is critical to giving yourself a makeable putt. Wrong place, and you’re on the defense, just trying to lag a putt close.

That happened to Knight a few times, including on 13, when he hit his approach past the hole to about 20 feet. He left his first putt, a downhiller with at least 8 feet of break, short and three-putted. Loflin made birdie to go 3 up, a lead he never relinquished.

“He (Knight) would have benefited from some local knowledge there,” Hopkins says.

Meanwhile, Hopkins is helping Loflin on approach and reading greens.

“He’s an incredible green reader. I always defer to him,” Loflin says. “He’s helped me a bunch this week. Course knowledge is so important out here. There’s a lot of bad stuff that can happen. He’s really helped me avoid that.”

Loflin met Hopkins during a practice round arranged by McDermott, who’s been a member at Merion since 2004 and played in five U.S. Amateurs himself. After the round, he told the caddymaster he wanted to have Hopkins on the bag for the U.S. Am. Loflin got his wish, and it’s paying off big time.

“All four of the players are fantastic golfers. As the host site, we never want to pick a favorite,” says McDermott, who was among the members following the match. “However, there’s only one Merion guy left. There’s no question that makes him the sentimental hometown favorite at this point. We would love for them to keep it going the rest of the weekend.”

Just like the vibes by the 16th hole under the early setting sun, let the good times roll!

Add us as a preferred source on Google