Phil Mickelson’s ex-caddie Bones Mackay ‘can’t wait’ to start new career as NBC on-course reporter
Crossing over to the dark side, Bones trades Lefty’s golf bag for an NBC/Golf Channel microphone.
Phil Mickelson said, after announcing two weeks ago that he and Jim “Bones” Mackay had split after 25 years as golfer and caddie, that any professional golfer would be fortunate to land his longtime looper. Whoever that lucky player may eventually be, he or she will apparently have to wait a while as Mackay will be wired for sound as the newest on-course reporter for NBC Sports and Golf Channel.
Not that offers weren’t rolling in for one of the most successful caddies in the game. Though Mackay declined, during a Thursday conference call, to name names, he acknowledged he “had several opportunities to do things.”
When NBC Sports’ lead golf producer, Tommy Roy, reached out following the Lefty-Bones breakup, Mackay jumped at the chance.
“A couple of weeks ago when Phil and I announced we were not working together anymore, I got a great phone call from Tommy and the ball started rolling,” Mackay said. “It’s an absolute honor for me to be here.”
In his first start under a reported multi-year deal, Mackay will handle the microphone at the British Open at Royal Birkdale in two weeks. He will round out his first partial season behind the mic by covering the FedExCup playoff series and Presidents Cup and then go full time in 2018.
"During my years as a caddie, I had the opportunity to watch Tommy Roy work his magic in the production truck, and walk the fairways with Notah Begay, Roger Maltbie, and Mark Rolfing," Mackay said in a statement issued by NBC Sports Group. "To join them and be a part of the coverage of some of golf's biggest events — starting with The Open — is an opportunity I'm grateful for, and I'm eager to add my take to help illustrate the strategic decisions golfers face inside the ropes.”
Mackay noted on Thursday that he was itching to begin his second career.
“I can’t wait to get started,” he said, adding that The Open is his favorite tournament.
“July 20th can’t get here fast enough,” said Mackay, who observed that he had a lot to learn and would “drive these guys [Roy, Maltbie, Steve Sands, et al] nuts with a lot of questions.”
While Mackay’s new contract marks the first occasion in which a former full-time PGA Tour caddie will join the likes of ex-golfers Nick Faldo, Brandel Chamblee, and Notah Begay III under the headsets, it will not be Bones’ debut as a talking head. In addition to the quarter century of on-course savvy as Mickelson’s bagman, Mackay also brings some reporting experience to his new job as he and Matt Kuchar’s caddie, John Wood, provided commentary for Golf Channel during the 2015 RSM Classic.
"It’s an honor for Woody and me to have this opportunity on Golf Channel," Mackay said at the time. "We have gotten to know course reporters very well over the years, and we’re fascinated with everything that goes into producing and covering a professional golf tournament.”
Back then, Roy touted the Mackay-Woods experiment as an effort “to come up with new things to attract viewers and enhance the experience for viewers," Roy told the Associated Press. “We'll see where it goes from here.”
Where it went from there was Bones learning a bit about his new occupation before trading his caddie bib for a mic — a notion that Mickelson and Mackay did not mention in their joint separation notice.
“Bones’ keen observations and ability to draw insight from personal experience will bring an original perspective to our coverage and complement our already well-respected broadcast team,” Roy said in the same statement. “The player-caddie dynamic in golf is often one of the most compelling and unique narratives being captured during our coverage. Bones has a career’s worth of experience being immersed in the most pressure-packed situations on golf’s biggest stages working alongside Phil, one of the most cerebral champions in the sport.”
Though Mackay received what he termed some “intriguing” looping offers, he said he was committed to his new vocation.
"I don’t think it rules anything out," Mackay told Golf World and Golf Channel’s Tim Rosaforte on Thursday. "I’m going be working 20-odd weeks a year. I think being a caddie is always going to be in blood, but right now it’s one thing at a time.”
As Mackay prepares for his new career, Mickelson is playing this week’s Greenbrier Classic, and the rest of the season, with his brother, Tim, on the bag. Mackay wished his former employer the best and said “it wouldn’t surprise me in the least” if Phil were to win his first tour event since the 2013 British Open this week at the Greenbrier.
Oh, and if you’re a sports fan of a certain vintage, it may interest you to know that Jim Mackay of looper lore never had the opportunity to meet broadcasting legend Jim McKay, who died in 2008.