Justin Thomas Gave his Caddie “Bones” Something He Never Got from Phil Mickelson

Caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay was the longtime bagman for Phil Mickelson, helping “Lefty” to six Major titles.

He came out of a brief retirement last year as a commentator for NBC and Golf Channel to lend his expertise to Justin Thomas, and after recording seven top 10s this season, he finally broke through and won the PGA Championship last week at Southern Hills.

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It’s a golf tradition for a Major winner to present the flag from the winning 18^th green to his caddie.

But according to author Alan Shipnuck in his unauthorized biography of Mickelson, Mackay didn’t get any of the flags from Mickelson’s Major wins because Lefty had a tradition to give the winning flag to his grandfather (even though his grandfather passed away a few months before Phil’s first major win at the 2004 Masters).

Mackay said he understood publicly, but those close to him said Bones and others took it as a sign of disrespect.

When the two split in 2017, Mickelson sent Mackay the flags but reportedly signed them in huge letters, and “Bones” never displayed them.

According to Shipnuck: “Phil autographed [the flags] in comically large letters, which Mackay felt disfigured the keepsakes.”

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We found out this week that Thomas indeed gifted the flag from No. 18 at Southern Hills to Mackay, and he also took time to talk about how important he has been to his game this year and specifically, after last Saturday’s 74 in the third round.

Thomas said he was a little frustrated after 54 holes, and Bones advised him to remain positive and not expect perfection, saying, “It’s a Major championship. …Just kind of let stuff happen, and everything is trending in the right direction. So just keep staying positive so that good stuff can happen.”

“Bones” turned out to be quite the soothsayer, and he now has a flag on his wall to commemorate the occasion.

Cover Image via Twitter