There is currently no timetable for Tigers Woods to return to golf after undergoing ankle surgery last month. With Woods sidelined, his former caddie Joe LaCava is staying busy.
LaCava is planning to work for PGA Tour star Patrick Cantlay full-time moving forward, it was announced last week. However, with Cantlay off this week, LaCava is helping out on the LPGA Tour.
He is on the bag for the No. 1 women’s golfer in the world — Nelly Korda — at this week’s Cognizant Founders Cup tournament in Clifton, New Jersey.
Korda’s regular caddie recently had a baby. Korda shot an even par 72 in the first round of the tournament on Thursday.
In last week’s Wells Fargo Championship, which was Cantlay’s first tournament played with LaCava on the bag as his full-time caddie, he finished at -6, which was good for 21st place.
LaCava is expected to be back on the bag next week as Cantlay competes in the PGA Championship, which will be his first major with LaCava.
Cantlay is tied for the ninth-best odds to win the PGA Championship at 22-1, according to DraftKings. The sportsbook has Jon Rahm listed as the favorite to win the PGA Championship.
LaCava started working with Woods in 2011 and was his caddie when Woods won the Masters in 2019, which is his most recent win in a major.
More on Tigers Woods surgery after Masters
As was mentioned, Tigers Woods is out for the foreseeable future, which left Joe LaCava in search of work.
Woods’ official Twitter account sent out a statement to release the news, claiming it stems from a previous issue. Thankfully, the procedure was deemed successful and Woods is on his way to rehabbing once again.
“Earlier today, Tiger underwent a subtalar fusion procedure to address his post-traumatic arthritis from his previous talus fracture,” the statement, which was released last month, said.
“It was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley at HSS Sports Medicine Institute in New York City. He has determined the surgery to be successful. Tiger is currently recovering and looks forward to beginning his rehabilitation.”
Watching Woods deal with injuries is nothing new in the latter stages of his career. Rarely have we seen him participate in a tournament that was not considered a major.
When he has, Woods has usually been on the course playing alongside his son, Charlie. At the very least, Woods gave LaCava his blessing to find a new PGA Tour partner for full-time caddie work.
Give credit to LaCava for sticking with Woods throughout many injuries over the course of the last decade.
