Bryson DeChambeau’s replacement caddie has been identified.
In a one-on-one interview with Golf.com’s Luke Kerr-Dineen published this week DeChambeau identified Brian Ziegler as the next man for the job and also shed light on his split with former longtime caddie Tim Tucker, who also participated in the interview.
When DeChambeau and Tucker stopped working together mid-week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, it drew much speculation and commentary from the golf world. Ben Schomin, Cobra-Puma’s director of tour operations, stepped in to pick up the back for DeChambeau in what would only be two rounds at the Rocket Mortgage Classic before the big bomber missed the cut and went home early, declining to answer media questions on the way out the door.
Both men denied a falling out. Tucker, a former Bandon Dunes caddie is set to open a new Bandon Dunes-based luxury bus transportation business in August and had been working on that venture.
Tucker explained the split this way to Golf.com: “We were really tired. The season; the tour schedule was grinding on us, grinding on me. I knew I was working on this business on the side; we’ve had a very intense relationship where he works a lot of hours. It was a little bit of me not being 100 percent healthy and happy…we made the best decision for the both of us.”
Tucker also said he had begun to prepare Dechambeau at the end of 2020 for the day he wouldn’t be caddying anymore. Still, that that day came mid-week at Rocket Mortgage was something DeChambeau called a “curveball.” Tucker said he later regretted the timing.
As for the new guy? Ziegler is a lead instructor at Dallas National (DeChambeau’s home course) and also serves as coach Chris Como’s right-hand man.
DeChambeau told Golf.com that Ziegler had been “a big part of my life for a while now” and they’ll make their player-caddie debut at next week’s British Open.
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