Tommy Fleetwood has one of the most famous caddies on the PGA Tour, Ian Finnis.
They have been together since 2016, but this will be the first time Finnis will not appear on the bag at Augusta National for the 88th Masters Tournament.
Ahead of his eighth Masters start, Fleetwood explained the changes.
“He hasn’t been good all year,” Fleetwood said Wednesday. “Right now he is at home trying to recover and get proper treatment. Hopefully he will come back sooner rather than later. It’s obviously different without him. We have spent the last eight years trying to recover and get proper treatment. We’ve been together in tournaments, so we wish him the best of luck.”
This is the third time in the past eight years that Fino has been absent. The first time happened after the 2018 US Open, when Finis’ son was born.
“We wish him nothing but the best. The faster he recovers, the better for all of us. Everyone has been asking about him, which was great. I know he’s desperate to get back here as soon as possible.”
Fleetwood has played pretty well at Augusta National, finishing inside the top 20 in three of his past six appearances. His longtime caddy played a big part in that.
“He’s a pretty big presence,” Fleetwood added. “It’s definitely very, very different. There’s a huge sense of relief when he’s out on the course with me. It’s a little weird. I’m glad he’s getting better and in good health. I’m much more worried about him being in the right position now. I’m looking forward to when he returns.”
The 33-year-old British player will rely on someone with local knowledge to carry his bags at the Masters.he will win the augusta nationals Former caddy masterGray Moore, help him out this week, according to the PGA Tour.
Moore and Fleetwood have gotten to know each other over the years.
“The first couple of years I was here, I was always practicing with Gray and I was always sitting and talking to him,” Fleetwood said. “So, I’ve known him well over the last few years, and he asked if he could do it this week.”
He wasn’t in San Antonio for the Valero Texas Open, so this marks the second week in a row he won’t have the word “Fino” on his bag. Fleetwood finished T7 with TaylorMade senior manager Adrian Rietveld on the bag.
The world’s No. 13 golfer has come close multiple times at major championships, finishing runner-up at the 2018 U.S. Open and 2019 British Open Championships. Last year, he was T5th at the US Open at LA Country Club and T10th at the British Open at Royal Liverpool.
His best finish at Augusta National was a tie for 14th in 2022.
This week, he will be paired with 2020 Masters champion Dustin Johnson and two-time major champion Collin Morikawa. They tee off Thursday at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.If you want to know more about golf, please follow us. @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
