From Freddie and Tiger to Patrick Cantlay, Joe LaCava's Lark Turned Into a Life

An offer to carry Ken Green's bag in 1987 turned into a career for Joe LaCava, who's had a front-row seat for some of golf's greatest wins.

ATLANTA — It all started with an offer to work a few events on the West Coast. Joe LaCava never had any intentions of caddying, well, for the rest of his life. He barely thought beyond a few weeks.

But that offer from Ken Green in early 1987 turned into a gig that still lasts today, as he will be on the bag this week for Patrick Cantlay at East Lake.

It is the first time LaCava has returned to the home of the Tour Championship in five years. That happened to be when Tiger Woods captured his 80th PGA Tour victory and his first in more than five years.

"That scene on 18 is something I’ll never forget," LaCava said. "All those people behind us. One of the coolest moments."

Five years ago, Tiger Woods had a triumphant win at East Lake with Joe LaCava on the bag :: Christopher Hanewinckel/USA TODAY Sports

LaCava, of course, is known for his time working for two of the most popular players in the game, Fred Couples and Woods. He caddied for each them when they won a Masters and has been among the more recognizable figures in the game, despite not playing, because of his association with those players.

And once he got started, he never once thought about doing something else.

"Never," said LaCava, who has a finance degree from Western Connecticut State that he never put to use. “Once I got going never thought about it. In ’87, Ken played well almost every tournament. In ’88, he ended up winning back to back tournaments, he won a big tournament in Japan, he played in the Ryder Cup and played well.

"I was hooked two weeks in but I was for sure hooked after that stint."

LaCava is at the Tour Championship with Cantlay, who in May decided to make a caddie change. That meant coaxing LaCava out of semi-retirement. LaCava, 59, had caddied for Woods since 2011, enduring numerous lengthy layoffs and was facing another one this year.

After withdrawing from the Masters, Woods soon after had surgery on his right ankle. It meant missing the remaining major championships this year in what promised to be a light schedule anyway.

With Woods's blessing, LaCava made the move and is working more than he has in years. He and Cantlay started at the Wells Fargo Championship and this will be their 10th event together. Cantlay has not won but has three top 10s in that stretch, including a playoff loss at the FedEx St. Jude Championship two weeks ago.

"It’s different. I’m enjoying it," LaCava said. "It’s great to be back in the action. I’m going to places that I love. It’s fun to be in the throes of it again."

Having done this for more than 35 years requires some ability to work well with people, especially having spent some 20 years with Couples and 13 more with Woods.

Fred Couples and Joe LaCava (pictured at the 1996 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic) were a pair for 20 years on Tour :: Sam Greenwood/PGA TOUR Archive/Getty Images

Couples joked that their light schedules helped, as it meant it was harder for him to get on their nerves. But he acknowledged that there is a necessary balance in the player-caddie relationship.

"You’ve got to be careful to not cross the line and respect the fact that they’re the boss," LaCava said. "Like you’re seeing with a lot of guys today, you can still be friends with the guy and have a good time off the golf course which I did with Fred for 20 years. We ate 75 percent of our meals together.

"Not the same with Tiger. He’s a room service guy. He can’t go out. But Tiger had me down to his house. We had meals together. We went to some sporting events together. I was very fortunate.

"I think it helps that my guys didn’t play much. I think when you play a lot, and you do seven days a week, everyone’s going to get on each other’s nerves after awhile. I was fortunate to not have to worry that many weeks and I always had long breaks. So I think that helped my relationship survive with both guys."

Over the course of such a career, there are clearly highs and lows. It’s easy to point to Couples’s 1992 Masters win and Woods’s 2019 Masters victory as the highlights for LaCava.

But what about lowlights? LaCava said a mid-1990s Canadian Open stands out with Couples, where LaCava talked the golfer into a wrong club, leading to a bogey. "It’s 30-some years ago and it doesn’t take me long to think about it," LaCava said.

With Woods, LaCava goes back 10 years to the 2013 Masters, when Woods took an improper drop during the second round in the 15th fairway. His third-shot approach had hit the flagstick and bounced back into the water fronting the green. Woods seemed sure to make a birdie but made a bogey—and then later it was changed to a triple-bogey 8 due to the penalty for taking a wrong drop.

"It was Friday, so we’ve still got 40 holes to play," LaCava said. “I really felt he was playing well. Probably would have been tough to beat over the weekend. We’re not even halfway through so I don’t want to sound crazy. Maybe stepping in more with the whole ruling thing. Tiger always took ownership in those situations. And then with all the controversy (about the drop), he never played the same over the weekend.

"I’m not a rules official but I should know better. Maybe step in and say, 'listen, let’s get an official up here.' I look back at that one. I’ve made plenty of bad decisions but that one sticks out in my mind."

There are moments to be proud of as well. LaCava said Woods was never comfortable at TPC Sawgrass, home of the Players Championship. He was never going to skip the tournament, but LaCava is glad that he pushed Woods into believing it was a tournament he could win.

“When we finished the season in ’12, we were coming back from a trip to Asia. He had won three times that year. It was a big deal for me. And we started talking about next year’s schedule," LaCava said.

“When we got to TPC (the Players), he jokingly said he was going to skip. I know he’s not going to skip but I called timeout. I said here’s the deal, I worked for Fred probably 15 or 18 times there. He won once before I got on, once while I was there. You shot 63 one time, had numerous top fives. To win a tournament like that you have to do everything well. But one specific thing is you have to hit a lot of good mid-iron shots. I consider Fred top three of his time. Tiger I consider the best all time. You should absolutely own that golf course.

“I could see it was sinking in. And he ends up winning, pretty much dominating the golf course. To this day we still talk about it. He thanks me 10 years later. I didn’t change his attitude necessarily, because he never has a bad attitude.

“But I think I changed his outlook. Tiger’s got to have a reason why. He wants to know why. I could see his wheels spinning on the flight home as soon as I said it. Message delivered. Probably one of my all-time favorites."

As for Woods's epic 2019 Masters victory—his 15th major title—LaCava likes to joke about the "read" Woods asked during the final round on the 16th green, when he had knocked his tee shot stiff for a birdie that would give him a two-shot lead.

"I told him to knock it in the hole," LaCava said.

But on the first day, perhaps his words to Woods helped.

"I basically said let’s not play tight today," he said. “I don’t mean go out there and wave and blow kisses. But be loose. Loose enough to allow you to play and hit the shots you’re capable of. Almost don’t try too hard. Don’t put too much on yourself. He ends up winning and that’s not the reason, but I think it calmed him down a little bit. It was on the first tee. I could have done it the night before, could have done it while we were warming up. I wanted to break it on the first tee."

Now LaCava is working with one of the game’s emerging stars. Cantlay is ranked fourth in the world and tied for sixth in the FedEx Cup standings, having won the overall title in 2021. Cantlay has eight PGA Tour victories, but no major titles and no victories since the BMW Championship last year.

Patrick Cantlay is ranked fourth in the world but still looking for a first win with ca :: George Walker IV/AP

Years of experience have taught LaCava that everyone is different and getting a sense for what the player wants and needs is the dynamic associated with being a good caddie.

"I feel like I’m doing a little bit more talking now," LaCava said. “I think (Cantlay) needs that, wants that. I’ve always tried to do whatever I’ve got to do. It’s not about me. But I’ll have my say. I always have a good conversation, it just doesn’t have to be a lengthy one.

"Fred wants the information but then he’s ready. Tiger the same way. Pat maybe a bit more information and maybe a little bit more back and forth. But not a lot."