Webb Simpson announced on Monday that he and longtime looper Paul Tesori are parting ways. And if that wasn’t surprising enough, the seven-time PGA Tour winner also revealed Tesori will be working for Cameron Young, a fellow Wake Forest product.

“I am happy for the great opportunity Paul has in going to work with my fellow WF Demon Deacon and friend, Cameron Young,” Simpson said in a statement.

Tesori was on the bag for all seven of Simpson’s PGA Tour titles, including the 2012 US Open and the 2018 Players Championship.

Simpson, 37, is 12 years older than Young so they didn’t overlap at Wake Forest. What makes the timing even more interesting is that Simpson played in Sunday’s penultimate pairing at the Valspar Championship, shooting a final-round to finish T-7, his first top 10 in 16 months.

“After over twelve years of working together, Paul Tesori and I have made the hard decision to change directions,” Simpson’s statement, which he tweeted, starts. Read the full statement below:

pic.twitter.com/ueJztrt6vj

— Webb Simpson (@webbsimpson1) March 20, 2023

Young, 25, is still searching for his maiden PGA Tour title. But the tour’s reigning Rookie of the Year is coming off a season in which he had five second-place finishes, including at the Open Championship. He also finished second at the PIF Saudi International behind LIV Golf’s Abraham Ancer. Young is currently No. 17 in the Official World Golf Ranking, while Simpson is 133rd.

Tesori is expected to be on Young’s bag at this week’s WGC-Dell Match Play, where he’ll start in a round-robin group with Sepp Straka, Corey Conners and Davis Thompson. Simpson didn’t qualify for the event.

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By Joel Beall
Days after withdrawing from the Travelers Championship out of “an abundance of caution” to the coronavirus, Webb Simpson has issued a statement that everyone in his family is safe.

“The last week has been a roller coaster of emotions,” Simpson said Saturday. “From the high of a great week in Hilton Head to the realities of COVID-19 and the impact it can have on a family.

“Thankfully, I am happy to report that the Simpson family has all tested negative for COVID-19. We appreciated the outpouring of support from fans, friends and family.”

On Wednesday, Simpson—who won the RBC Heritage last week for his second title of the season—was one of five players to drop out of the Travelers with virus-related concerns. In a statement at the time, Simpson said he and caddie Paul Tesori had tested negative for COVID-19 but that a family member’s result came back positive.

“I feel like it is my responsibility to take care of my family and protect my peers in the field by withdrawing from the Travelers Championship,” Simpson said Wednesday. “I am going to return home to Charlotte and quarantine under CDC guidelines, and I look forward to returning to competition after that time period.”

On Friday, Simpson was listed as a competitor in next week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. Simpson is currently No. 5 in the World Ranking, boasting seven top-three finishes in the past calendar year.

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As we’ve seen through the years with guys like Damon Green and Paul Tesori, many loopers remain high-level golfers after abandoning their own playing dreams to caddie for others. Add Brent Henley to that list.

The younger brother of Kip Henley, a former mini-tour player and “Big Break” winner turned caddie, has worked for the likes of Woody Austin, Robert Garrigus, John Mallinger, and Garrett Willis. Although currently without a bag on the PGA Tour, that didn’t stop the former caddie closest-to-the-pin winner at the Players Championship from going on a Wednesday birdie binge. Check out this scorecard:

Short golf course that played even shorter but this will be the closest I come to shooting my age for at least 10 more years. I have no idea how or where this come from because I haven’t broken par but about 3 times in the last 2 years. ??‍ pic.twitter.com/Si78vMYpNe

— Brent Henley (@BRENTHENLEY) June 18, 2020

How about that? A nice little Roger Maris. Not too shabby, Brent. And while he’s unemployed at the moment, he was happy to avoid one thing his brother, who currently works for Stewart Cink, had to go through at this week’s RBC Heritage:

OMG!!! I thought this Qtip thing was just a myth!! I think I will remain unemployed because I am not man enough to take this test! Surely there is a better way?!? https://t.co/0faFK5Y6K6

— Brent Henley (@BRENTHENLEY) June 18, 2020

We feel you, Brent. Going low on the course seems a lot more fun than a Q-tip going deep into your head.

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By Joel Beall
The PGA Tour resumes its season Monday at Colonial in Fort Worth, confident it can conduct proceedings in a safe manner while serving as a role model for other sports’ returns. The players are cautiously optimistic in that promise. But what about the caddies?

After all, the role of the modern tour caddie is far from its “show up, keep up and shut up” adage. Caddies are a sounding board, coach, psychiatrist, teammate and friend. It’s an evolution that has given the profession a more respected voice in the game.

Conversely, there’s still a pecking order in the game’s hierarchy. And when it came to the Tour’s restart, many of the caddies were left in the dark on the protocols and restrictions, getting updates not from the Tour but their players and golf publications. It was only two weeks ago that the Tour held a call with caddies to go through the new rules of engagement.

Still, their response to the Tour’s planned restart is universal.

“I have not talked to one caddie who isn’t pumped about getting back,” said Paul Tesori, who caddies for Webb Simpson. Adds Brennan Little, who’s on Gary Woodland’s bag: “Even with the uncertainty, I think there’s a lot of excitement.”

It is an eagerness fueled by a myriad of factors. As Aaron Fleener points out, caddies by their nature are not prone to idleness. “It’s good to get a vacation, but with our work ethics, lying around ain’t our thing,” says Fleener, who teams up with J.T. Poston. “We love what we do, being around the guys, and want to get back to doing it.”

“We are used to a certain lifestyle, being on the road, guys are itching to return,” Tesori says. “There are only so many puzzles you can do, you know?”

David Cannon
Brennan Little, who caddies for Gary Woodland, said there’s a lot of excitement about the PGA Tour’s return to play.

There are financial implications. PGA Tour caddies aren’t sleeping six to a room like the days of yesteryear; most do OK money-wise. “I’m more worried about [the caddies] on the Korn Ferry Tour,” Fleener says. “Things were tight already down there.” Yet, as Tesori, who’s enjoyed a prosperous run with Simpson and, before that, Vijay Singh, notes, “We haven’t had a paycheck in three months. Don’t care what your line of work, that does a number on the bank account.”

Additionally, that zeal is sparked by the unspoken worry that comes with the profession, pandemic or not: If you’re at home while your man’s having success, well, dust off the resume.

Speaking of which, every week on tour there are a handful of players making caddie switches, many times without a long-term replacement in mind, creating temporary positions with big-time potential. Those opportunities will still exist, either by firing or if a caddie tests COVID-19 positive. However, given the travel and bubble restrictions, free-agent caddies can no longer swarm a host site in their traditional manner, which could lead to house or local caddies getting the call.

Case in point: Taylor Ford left caddying over the winter to become a consultant. However, he lives in Dublin, Ohio, which will host back-to-back Tour events at Muirfield Village in July. Though he only plans to get back into caddying full-time for the right player, he’s going to be on standby when the tour arrives.

“I have a COVID test kit ready in case,” Ford says. “Never know what would happen with travel, especially for the international guys, or if someone tests positive.”

Most of the caddies don’t bat an eye regarding the risks, be it through travel or at the tournament. But they do acknowledge the uncertainty ahead, and how that will change their responsibilities.

“The Tour is adamant that we adhere to the safety procedures,” Tesori says. “Are we going to be six feet apart every single moment? No, but we’re going to try.” Tesori says he and Simpsons already had a long chat on how to go about their strategy with the restrictions in place. “Reading the greens is going to be a big difference,” Tesori says. “I’m usually a foot away from Webb. But everyone is making changes on the fly.”

“There’s no high-fiving, nothing like that,” Fleener says. “How are we supposed to celebrate, tap feet? And it’s going to be weird when someone wins and there’s no fans around. It’s hard to picture that; it’s an adjustment.”

Their business won’t be the only thing in need of fine-tuning. Most of the caddies have been keeping busy with house improvements and getting out to play a few times a week. Little has been fishing. But they haven’t been doing their usual cardio, and, well …

“I think I’ve put on 13 pounds since the Players,” Tesori says. “It’s going to be 97 degrees that first week back in Texas. And I know I’m not the only body that’s out of shape.”

Still, the caddies know what’s at stake in golf’s resumption. And they’re determined to do their part, to not drop the ball. Er, bag.

“Whatever it takes just to get going,” Fleener says. “Fans want a product to watch. A lot of eyes will be on us. We’re going to make sure we don’t screw it up.”

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By Paul Tesori
I’ve been on Webb Simpson’s bag for eight years now. Last May was a career highlight when we won the Players Championship. In doing so, we had to survive the famous island-green 17th. After birdieing 16 on Sunday, our lead was six, but it wasn’t time to exhale yet. We saw two days earlier what can happen on 17: In a tricky wind, Webb backed off his tee shot twice before clanking one off the bulkhead and into the water. We were able to sneak off with a double bogey—on a day when we were an incredible 11 under through 16 holes!

Making the walk to 17 tee on Sunday, my goal was to make sure Webb got a mental break. I had a plan. I call it “premeditated sports talk.” Webber and I love sports, and when we get going on games or players, it gives us off-time from golf. So with 10,000 amped-up fans waiting on 17, I said to Webb, “I think the Rockets are gonna beat the Warriors, and here’s why.” I took the underdog, and Webb jumped right in: “Are you kidding me? Golden State has too many superstars.” We went on like this all the way to the tee. Webb thought I had lost my mind. It was all basketball, no golf. Mission accomplished.

Before the round, I’d gotten the exact yardage on 17: We wanted to fly it 133 yards. The wind was out of the right, a little hurting. That’s a hard gap wedge for Webb, and that’s what we’d practised on the range four hours earlier. (It’s nice when there are no surprises.) Webb was decisive, so I just gave him my standard send-off: “Be fully committed.”

He hit a good shot into the slope on the left side of the green, leaving 55 feet to the back-right hole. I’ll admit when I was holding the pin, with the bulkhead 12 feet behind me, I thought, Just don’t putt it in the water. That green is so fast, the ball did trickle all the way to the fringe. Exhale. Webb made the 10-footer, and 15 minutes later we were celebrating. —With Peter Morrice

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What’s interesting about Simpson, though, is that his move away from anchored stroke predated the official anchoring ban at the start of 2016, mostly because his caddy, Paul Tesori, suggested the two get out in front of the problem.

How did that work out? That depends on who you ask.

https://soundcloud.com/user-96678684/webb-simpson-caddie-paul-tesori-surviving-tpc-and-tigers-latest-run

“We went in a year early, which was my call, and that cost us at least $5 million because the next year I think he finished third in ball-striking and only made about $1.5 million,” Tesori said on this week’s Golf Digest Podcast. “We went in and looked at his average putting throughout his career and if he had an average putting year he would have been second on the Ryder Cup list, he would have won a couple of tournaments and he would have made about $6 million.

“I was like, ‘Webb, you’re welcome buddy. Anything else you need, just let me know.’”

Of course, there was a happy epilogue. Simpson went more than four years without a win, but he cashed in in a big way last weekend at TPC Sawgrass, winning $1.98 million and adding the PGA Tour’s biggest title to the U.S. Open he won in 2012. And Simpson did it all with Tesori by his side. The two comprise one of the closest player-caddie relationships on tour, in no small part because Tesori brings unique insight into the game as a good enough player to have played 21 events on tour himself and now having been on the bag for 20 PGA Tour wins.

The affable Tesori, who grew up in Ponte Vedra, Fla., joined us on this week’s podcast to discuss the struggles of the past few years, the reward of winning in his hometown and occasionally having to shack up with the boss.

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