Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay to Join NBC, Golf Channel

0

Since his shocking split from Phil Mickelson, his boss of 25 years, there has been a great deal of speculation of what caddy Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay would do as his next venture.

 
Would he latch on to a veteran player, or would he become part of a team with a young, up-and-comer?

On Thursday, that question was finally answered: neither. It was announced that ‘Bones’ has been hired by NBC Sports, which owns the Golf Channel, as an on-course reporter. He will now deliver his vast knowledge of the Tour’s courses, players, and tournaments to TV viewers.

 
It is the third time this year that someone in the sports world made a surprising jump into a TV role, joining newly-named NFL analysts Tony Romo and Jay Cutler. Mackay will be thrown in the mix right away, as he’ll be joining his new employer at The Open Championship, which gets underway in about a week at Royal Birkdale.


Bullets

  • The Announcement: Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay has signed a multi-year contract with NBC to become their newest on-course golf reporter. Mackay had spent the last 25 years as the caddy of 42-time Tour winner Phil Mickelson. Mackay and Mickelson had announced on May 20th that they were ending their long partnership, with both sides insisting that the split was mutual and not based on a single incident.
  • The First: This is the first time a full-time caddy will be employed as an on-course reporter with a television network.
  • Prior Experience: Mackay has worked as an on-course reporter before, once taking a guest role at the 2015 RSM Classic.
  • The Open: Mackay’s first assignment will be a big one. He will be heading to Royal Birkdale for The Open Championship, a tournament he and Mickelson claimed victory at just four years ago.
  • Other Assignments: Mackay will also be on the course for the FedEx Cup Playoffs and the Presidents Cup, which occur later on this year.

Quotable

“There will definitely be a couple of nerves there early on. I never really got nervous on the golf course. You know, working for Phil, obviously I’m not hitting any shots out there, and it was important to just kind of stay as even-keeled as possible. So I hope to borrow from those experiences when we get going here at The Open Championship.”
Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay


Advertisement

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your name here