‘It’s An A**-Whipping Week’: Billy Foster Explains Why He Doesn’t Love The Masters

Billy Foster waited a long time to get his first Major Championship as a Caddie. Matt Fitzpatrick triumphed at the U.S. Open in 2022, and Foster had finally added the accomplishment to his long and storied career. One Major he’d love to win is The Masters, but at the same time, Foster explains that the weekend in April is simply not one of his favorites, and he is just okay leaving Augusta with a job.

Foster explained to the National Club Golfer’s From the Clubhouse podcast:

“It’s a place I love leaving, to be quite honest. I’ve never been a massive fan of it.It’s just such a tough week. And listen, it’s a great tournament, atmosphere is great, you’d love to win there, but as a caddie, you just love to get that pin back into the 18th hole on the 72nd hole of the tournament and still have a job.”

Augusta National is undoubtedly a difficult course to play. If you talk to people who have been lucky enough to even watch the Masters in person, they would tell you that television just does not do it enough justice. 

The hills and elevation changes of the course are not necessarily captured by cameras. This fact alone is what makes it very enjoyable for spectators but not so much fun for the caddies and players.

Credit: CNN

Foster said, simply put, that Augusta is “very, very difficult.” He is well aware of the fact that the prestige of the tournament has cost many caddies their jobs:

“It’s an unbelievable tournament. But as a caddie, it’s an a**-whipping week. It’s very, very difficult. And sure enough, as always, three or four casualties every year at the end of that week.” 

When a member of the podcast asked Foster what his advice would be for Amen Corner, the stretch of holes from 11 to 13, he simply replied:

“Go to church on Sunday morning.”

Caddying is an obviously tough gig, but with so many players wanting to add a Green Jacket to their list of career accomplishments, it is no secret that tensions and hindsight could get in the way of a relationship and an employment status.

Cover Image via National Club Golfer