Joe LeCava with Fred Couples. Pic: Champions Tour
With Woods continuing to recover from February’s near fatal car crash it’s meant LaCava also missing from the PGA Tour though the great news for LaCava is that he’s back beside Couples.
LaCava began caddying on the Tour in 1987 and joined Couples in 1990, and with the pair combining for Couples to capture 10 of his 15 PGA Tour victories capped by the 1992 Masters victory at Augusta National.
The now 66-year-old Connecticut-based LaCava and sporting a moustache, then began working with Dustin Johnston for four-years but after Woods ended a 13-year relationship with Kiwi bagman Steve Williams, Woods approached Johnson who agreed to release LaCava to caddy for Woods.
That was in 2011 and with Woods and LaCava combining for 11 PGA Tour sanctioned victories and none better than Woods’ capturing a 15th major and that being an emotional 2019 Masters triumph.
“Actually eating pasta watching hockey with him right now,” was LaCava’s response to a text message from my PGA Tour colleague Bob Harig at ESPN.
“Like nothing has changed 10 years later!
“But in saying that, I do miss it and I love Fred like a brother. Though I would kill to be working this week for TW in Columbus (The Memorial).
LaCava last caddied for Woods in December’s PNC Challenge in Orlando but is used to waiting for Woods, including for lengthy periods in 2016 and 2017 when Woods was recuperating from on-going back surgery, and now has been waiting since late February as Woods recovers from surgery on his injured leg post following the car crash.
“If I could live another hundred years, I’d wait another hundred years,” he said.
“I was never not going to work for Tiger as long as he was going to have me. I just wanted to work for him and no one else. And I think that helped him a little bit, knowing that he had a friend that thought that much of him, as a person and with his game.”
That was in 2011 and with Woods and LaCava combining for 11 PGA Tour sanctioned victories and none better than Woods’ capturing a 15th major and that being an emotional 2019 Masters triumph.
“Actually eating pasta watching hockey with him right now,” was LaCava’s reaction in response to a text message from my PGA Tour colleague Bob Harig at ESPN.
“Like nothing has changed 10 years later!
“But in saying that, I do miss it and I love Fred like a brother. Though I would kill to be working this week for TW in Columbus (The Memorial).
LaCava has been used to waiting for Woods, including for lengthy periods in 2016 and 2017 when Woods was recuperating from on-going back surgery, and now has been waiting at home a further occasion as Woods recovers from surgery on his injured leg.
“If I could live another hundred years, I’d wait another hundred years,” he said.
“I was never not going to work for Tiger as long as he was going to have me. I just wanted to work for him and no one else. And I think that helped him a little bit, knowing that he had a friend that thought that much of him, as a person and with his game.”
(By arrangement with www.golfbytourmiss.com)
