There is a growing trend on the LPGA Tour.
Female caddies.
Of course there are still far more men, but take a look at the caddy list this week at the Founders Cup and you’ll find 15 women toting the bag.
“Wow, I didn’t realize we had that many,” said Brittany Lincicome, who has worked alongside Missy Pedersen since 2013. “I think females are fantastic, if you went back and looked with Tara (Bateman) and AJ (Eathorne) and Missy, I’ve played my best golf with females. They really understand everything we are going through and most are past players.”
Pedersen, who first started caddying on the LPGA in 2008 after her playing career came to a close, thinks it’s a trend that will continue.
“The more times girls are having female caddies, they are starting to prefer it and that is nothing against the guys, I absolutely believe it is just a chemistry thing and that could happen with a girl or a guy,” said Pedersen. “A few girls I’ve talked to that have had female caddies have said they like it. There is a common denominator there.”
Theresa Durand is out here this week on the bag for Kris Tamulis. She isn’t full-time on the LPGA Tour anymore, but was from 1993 through 2003 and worked for Jane Crafter, Patty Sheehan and others.
“Oh my god,15 is a lot, it’s night and day difference,” said Durand. “When I was caddying, there were probably only four of us full-time.”
Durand did caution that part of the reason why there aren’t more women is because of the travel demands.
“It’s a hard life for a women on the road unless you have someone to travel with,” said Durand. “I think women want to settle down more than be on the road constantly and there are only a few of use that are gypsies and love this life.”
Durand doesn’t think that one day half the caddies will be females, but she’s encouraged by the growth and thinks that increase in prize money and wages will help.
“I like that more women are making it a career because the wages are better now. I remember back then it was like $600 a week and you had to live on that. There would be four of us in a Super 8 and two of them were guys.”
While it is certainly a positive seeing more women making a career in different areas of golf, there is one catch. Very few of the top ranked players in the world employ women. The only LPGA players in the top 50 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, who have female caddies, are Lincicome and Brooke Henderson, who has her sister, Brittany, on the bag.
“I think you are going to see more and more female caddies,” said Pedersen. “But even with some of the success I’ve had, if you stood me next to some of the guys out here, they are still going to get the first choice. There is still that assumption that they are more experienced or know golf better, but I sense a change.”
Pedersen is sensing accurately. Lincicome said she’s had players approach her about working with Pedersen. While Lincicome isn’t ready to give her up, she said she’ll definitely be in demand when she steps away.
“Obviously my husband and I want to start a family in the future and I’ve had players come up to me and ask ‘when you go on maternity leave can we borrow Missy?’ so she’s definitely sought after. I love female caddies so I don’t know why there aren’t more at the top of the leaderboard.”
Maybe one day soon.
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