For his comeback this week in Los Angeles, in what will be his first tournament of 2024, Tiger Woods has enlisted the services of a highly experienced caddy. The former top-ranked golfer’s longtime friend, Rob McNamara, who carried Woods’ bag at the Hero World Challenge in December, will be stepping aside.
However, Woods declined the offer from his fellow American and friend Fred Couples, who expressed his readiness to caddy for Woods at the Riviera Country Club if asked. Instead, sources indicate that Tiger Woods will have Lance Bennett by his side when he tees off at the Genesis Invitational this week.
Bennett is an experienced caddy who typically works with young Belgian golfer Adrien Dumont de Chassart this season. He has been on the professional circuits since 2006. In the past, Bennett has also caddied for Bill Haas and Matt Kuchar, winning The Players in 2012 with the latter and competing in three Ryder Cups.
More recently, Bennett was seen alongside Daniel Berger, Sungjae Im, and Davis Riley at the Masters last year. He has also provided his caddying services to renowned golfers on the LPGA, including Paula Creamer, Juli Inkster, and former top-ranked player Lorena Ochoa.
At this stage, it is uncertain if Woods plans to have this Virginia native and father of three by his side at the Augusta Masters, the first Major of the season. Tiger Woods, born Eldrick Tont Woods on December 30, 1975, in Cypress, California, is an American golfer.
He is widely regarded as one of the greatest golfers in history. His father, Earl, is a retired member of the US Armed Forces, with African, Chinese, and Indian heritage, while his mother Kutilda has Thai, Chinese, and Dutch ancestry.
His given name is Eldrick, but he earned the nickname “Tiger” from his father’s friend who served in the Vietnam War. The moniker stuck, and he eventually adopted it as his official name. Woods displayed exceptional talent from a young age, starting to play golf at just two years old.
Under the guidance of his father, who was a skilled amateur golfer, Woods appeared on television at the age of three, challenging actor Bob Hope to a golf match. By the age of eight, he had already secured a victory at the world junior championship. At 18, he became the youngest player ever to win the US amateur championship.
He continued to excel in both junior and senior competitions. In 2005, at 29 years old, Woods achieved a significant milestone by capturing his tenth major professional golf title. This placed him third on the all-time list, behind Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen. He and Bobby Jones are the only golfers to have won thirteen major titles before turning 30.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org