“Conversations with Champions presented by Sentry” is a weekly series from Golfweek and The Caddie Network.
“Conversations with Champions presented by Sentry” is a weekly series from Golfweek in collaboration with The Caddie Network, where we take you behind the scenes for a chat with the winning caddie from the most recent PGA Tour event. This week: Matt Minister, caddie for Patrick Cantlay, shares some thoughts about their win at the 2022 BMW Championship.
Patrick Cantlay found himself in familiar territory Sunday.
Winner of the BMW Championship for a second straight year, Cantlay also became the first golfer to defend a FedEx Cup Playoffs title in the 16-year history of the PGA Tour’s postseason.
Next up: the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta for the FedEx Cup Playoffs finale, a tournament that Cantlay also won a year ago.
Familiarity should prove beneficial but that doesn’t mean solid prep and attention to detail will take a back seat this week.
John Rathouz from The Caddie Network caught up with winning caddie Matt Minister to break down the week that was.
“I would imagine it’s a lot of short-game work because the Bermuda rough is so difficult, and the sand is a lot different than last week’s sand. So doing a lot of short-game practice and a lot of putting because you’re also on a different type of grass,” Minister said.
“The rest of it, as far as course management and your mind management, will be much the same as last year and I think that’s also good for Patrick and myself, having gone through it.
“It should make it more comfortable. I won’t say easy because it’s not easy.”
Minister also revealed an equipment change just ahead of the BMW.
“That was a new driver, a new head, so I think it was a little concerning how he might drive the ball,” he said. “But he drove it unbelievably, maybe a little bit further.”
Being a caddie carries as much job security as a tightrope artist. You’re always one bad step from a disaster.
How does a guy go from worrying about losing his job to cashing the biggest check of his life, all within a three-week period?
By becoming a PGA Tour caddie.
Just ask Jupiter, Florida, resident Matt Minister. This job is not for the faint of heart.
Minister – nicknamed “the Rev” because of his last name – is used to going through highs and lows. That goes with the territory when you’ve been a Tour caddie for two decades.
But nothing could prepare Minister for the craziness of the last three weeks, which finished on a high note Sunday when his boss, Patrick Cantlay, won the Tour Championship. It was Cantlay’s second consecutive victory and earned him the $15 million bonus for winning the FedExCup title.
Normally, a caddie receives 10 percent of the check when a player wins. Minister wasn’t getting into specifics Tuesday – “Patrick and I have an arrangement and I’ll keep that between us” – but it’s safe to say Minister made more money the last month than many people earn in their lifetime.
“Never in my wildest dreams,” Minister said Tuesday, when asked to describe the events. “I knew Patrick was playing well … part of it hasn’t set in yet.”
But before the celebration came the concern: The 47-year-old Minister tested positive for COVID-19 just as the PGA Tour’s regular season was ending last month. He was sick for 13 days, prompting Cantlay to bring in Tiger Woods’ caddie, Joe LaCava, for the first playoff event.
Being a caddie carries as much job security as a tightrope artist. You’re always one bad step from a disaster. And LaCava is one of the best caddies.
“In this job, you hold on as tight as you can,” Minister said. “You want the job. Any week you’re missing out, strange things have happened.
“I wanted to work that week, but Patrick told me to stay home. He wanted me to get better.”
Minister watched as Cantlay finished 11th at The Northern Trust. Minister arrived at Caves Valley – site of the BMW Championship – the same day as the final round of the rain-delayed Northern Trust ended. He had a message for his boss after he walked the course.
“You’re going to love these greens,” Minister told Cantlay. “They’re just like Memorial’s (a tournament Cantlay has won twice) … fast and lots of slopes.”
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Scouting BMW Championship course
You think a caddie doesn’t know his player? Cantlay set a PGA Tour record for most strokes gained putting at Caves Valley – almost 15 shots on the field – and that didn’t include a bunch of putts he made in his mesmerizing six-hole playoff victory over Bryson DeChambeau.
Cantlay continued his torrid play last week when he made more clutch putts at East Lake to beat Jon Rahm by a shot at the Tour Championship. It was the sixth victory for the Cantlay-Minister duo and obviously quieted any job concerns.
“My wife Julie and I were talking yesterday, and she said this was the craziest month of my life,” Minister said.
Then again, it’s a crazy job. A quick recap of Minister’s career:
• After playing golf at Ohio State, Minister moved to South Florida in 1998 to play the Golden Bear Tour. After making the cut in 14 of 15 events – and breaking even – Minister switched to caddying on the PGA Tour for former college teammate Chris Smith.
• Minister’s career languished to the point where in 2006 he was working as a club caddie at the McArthur Club in Hobe Sound. He ran into McArthur co-founder Nick Price, who recognized him as Smith’s former caddie and asked him what he was doing there. Price was about to join the PGA Tour Champions, so he asked Minister to caddie for him and they won four times together during the next five years.
• Minister started working for promising South Korean Sangmoon Bae in 2012, and they won a pair of tournaments together. But that job ended quickly when Bae had to fulfill his two-year military obligation.
• After bouncing around with a half-dozen players, Minister was supposed to work for Chris Kirk at Pebble Beach in 2017 – only to have Kirk cancel on him at the last minute.
As luck would have it, a representative for Cantlay called and asked Minister if he wanted to caddie for him. Cantlay had missed more than two years with a back injury and his former caddie had died in a car accident. Cantlay’s first week was Pebble Beach.
“I had already made travel plans and gotten a hotel in Pebble,” Minister said. “It made the decision a lot easier.”
It was almost like divine intervention for “the Rev.”
Caddie Matt Minister (left) celebrates with Patrick Cantlay on the 18th green after the first playoff hole during the final round of the Memorial Tournament golf tourney. (Photo by Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports)
What age difference?
Cantlay has won six PGA Tour events – and earned more than $35 million – with Minister as his caddie. Despite their 18-year age difference, they mesh together well – sometimes Cantlay calls him “Dad.”
“Matt does such a great job making everything easy for me,” Cantlay said. “We have a great relationship on and off the golf course. I know I can always depend on him.”
Minister’s crazy month isn’t over. In two weeks, he will get to caddie in his first Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. At almost 50.
“I get butterflies just thinking about it,” Minister said. “People have told me how wild those Friday morning matches will be.”
“It did add a little bit of spice to the telecast,” said caddie Matt Minister, “but we’re all pros out here and it’s not a big deal.”
If it seemed like Patrick Cantlay and Bryson DeChambeau were a bit cold to each other during Sunday’s final round of the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf club in Owings Mills, Maryland, you can probably point to a moment on the 14th hole where it all began.
Bryson stood over his approach shot for several seconds before backing off, turning to his left, and saying “Patrick, can you stop walking?”
Cantlay did, but just a few minutes later would walk in a 21-footer for birdie to join DeChambeau at the top of the leaderboard.
You can imagine the traction the video received on social media, and even the reaction the broadcast team had to the moment. In a video posted to the Caddie Network’s Instagram page on Monday, Cantlay’s caddie, Matt Minister explained that the exchange wasn’t a big deal.
Joe LaCava accepted a one-week gig to work for Patrick Cantlay, No. 3 in the FedEx Cup point standings.
Tiger Woods’ caddie has gotten the call from the bullpen.
Joe LaCava is scheduled to be on the bag of Patrick Cantlay this week at Liberty National Gold Club for The Northern Trust in Jersey City, New Jersey, the first of three FedEx Cup playoff events.
“He’s going to have to put up with the scrub caddie this week,” kidded LaCava toGolf Digest.
Cantlay’s regular caddie, Matt Minister, who was on the bag for Cantlay’s latest victory at The Memorial in June, is sidelined after testing positive with COVID-19. Cantlay subbed with Joe Skovron, Rickie Fowler’s regular bagman, at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
Cantlay enters the week ranked third in the FedEx Cup points standings thanks to two victories, and that’s not all that is at stake for him during the playoff run.
He needs to make up some ground to earn an automatic pick for the U.S. Ryder Cup team or to assure Captain Steve Stricker that his game is in top form for a captain’s pick. Cantlay played under Tiger Woods at the 2019 Presidents Cup in Australia.
Tiger’s caddie Joe LaCava is on the bag for Patrick Cantlay at the Northern Trust this week.
Just a fill-in gig as Cantlay’s full time looper, Matt Minister, is out with COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/4E8Xk53EaU
LaCava, who lives in the tri-state area in Connecticut and is a diehard New York Giants fan, has been in semi-retirement since Tiger Woods sustained injuries when he was involved in a single-car crash in February. Woods currently is recovering and hasn’t release a timetable for his return.
Previously, when Woods was out with a back injury, LaCava had inquiries to see if he was available for work, but politely declined to work for anyone else. That loyalty was rewarded in memorable victories with Woods at the 2018 Tour Championship, the 2019 Masters, his 15thmajor, and a win at the Zozo Championship in Japan that tied Sam Snead for the most wins on the PGA Tour with 82.
LaCava also looped for former boss Fred Couples at the Principal Charity Classic on the PGA Tour Champions earlier this year. Couples finished tied for sixth.
Cantlay is schedule to tee off on Thursday at 8:26 am ET on the 10th tee.
