Caddie Paul Tesori Splits with Webb Simpson and Joins up with Cam Young

Webb Simpson announced this morning that he and longtime caddie Paul Tesori have split.

“After over twelve years of working together, Paul Tesori and I have made the hard decision to change directions,” Simpson said in a statement posted to his Twitter this morning.

Detailing “an incredibly difficult decision” for both he and Tesori, Simpson said that the split was mutual and come to after advice from friends and family, as well as prayer.

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— Webb Simpson (@webbsimpson1) March 20, 2023

Simpson and Tesori were one of the longest-standing golfer-caddie relationships on the PGA Tour. A bond that turned into something beyond a friendship, a 2020 PGATour.com article detailed the pair’s unique relationship, which was competitive in some of the most interesting ways.

The two would start working together in December 2010, when Sean O’Hair and Tesori decided to split. Tesori had been on the bag for Vijay Singh and Jerry Kelly, and before working with Simpson, had offers to work for Camilo Villegas and Dustin Johnson.

The decision was the correct one. Simpson and Tesori would go on to win the U.S. Open at The Olympic Club in 2012, the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in 2018, and various Ryder Cup teams.

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Tesori is due to start carrying the bag for 2022 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Cam Young, who had a spectacular season last year with a third-place finish at the PGA Championship and a runner-up finish at The Open Championship. Young and Simpson were both golfers at Wake Forest University.

Caddie changes are sometimes necessary to reignite a struggling career or even to have a fresh perspective. We have seen numerous caddie changes over the past year, with one of the most notable being Will Zalatoris and Ryan Goble’s decision to part ways last year. “It was just getting a little unhealthy for the both of us and obviously it hurts,” Zalatoris said, calling it “the toughest decision I’ve had to make in my golf career.”

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Simpson finished T-7 at -4 this past weekend at the Valspar Championship but was cut from the PLAYERS. He also has a T-24 at the Arnold Palmer, a T-74 at the Honda Classic, and a T-57 at the Waste Management. His previous three starts were all cuts, including the 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Sony Open, and RSM Classic.