Will Zalatoris reveals why he fired his caddie mid-tournament

Apr 11, 2021; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Will Zalatoris plays his shot from the third tee during the final round of The Masters golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

Will Zalatoris shared the reasoning behind his decision to fire his longtime caddie during Friday’s second round of the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.

Zalatoris, the 14th-ranked golfer in the world, replaced caddie Ryan Goble with Josh Gregory as his fill-in caddie for the remainder of the tournament.

The 25-year-old spoke to reporters on Saturday about his decision, saying that his and Goble’s relationship had become strained recently. While Zalatoris said that Goble had practically been his “best friend for the last three years,” Zalatoris added that “it was just getting a little unhealthy” for both of them.

“We’ve kind of had a rough month together and it was starting to affect our relationship,” Zalatoris said via Adam Smith of the Burlington Times-News. “We were guys that we would love to have dinner together and hang out and what was happening on the course was starting bleed off the course and that’s not what you want.”

Zalatoris and Goble had a fruitful partnership on the course. While together, Zalatoris had eight top-10 finishes. This season, he finished tied for sixth place at the Masters, tied for second at the U.S Open, and lost the PGA Championship in a playoff. Zalatoris has earned over $6.6 million this season as well.

Gregory will be replaced by Joel Stock, who will caddie for Zalatoris in the FedEx Cup playoffs beginning next week.

Zalatoris shot 2-under par during Sunday’s final round. He finished the tournament in a tie for 21st place, and 9-under par overall.