The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
‘Bones’ in tears as he flies home with champ
JIM “BONES” Mackay planned a night of celebration in the land of his fathers after his boss’s dramatic Open Championship win, but instead was with Phil Mickelson and his family as they flew back to the US with the Claret Jug last night.
The 48-year-old caddie was in floods of tears at the trophy presentation at Muirfield on Sunday night, having helped Mickelson to his round of 66 to win the Open.
Mackay was born in Britain and is the son of a Scot, so to win his home country’s greatest event made him “pretty emotional”.
“I have worked for the guy for 21 years and he played the greatest round of his life in the final round of the biggest tournament in the world to win the Open at Muirfield,” he said.
“I don’t take that statement lightly. I’ve seen Phil do some amazing things through the years but 66 on the final day of the Open? That’s the best.”
Mackay had planned to stay in Scotland as Mickelson intended to go home to San Diego to see his parents.
“Phil had been on the road for a solid three weeks having played in the States, then going straight to Castle Stuart and then to Muirfield, so he was naturally tired and he wanted to go home and share the triumph with his parents,” continued Bones.
“The plan was for me to have a night of celebration here in Scotland, until I got a message on my phone about an hour after I had left the golf course. I opened the text and it read: Hey man, why don’t you come fly home with me?
Mickelson had no doubt what the Claret Jug meant to his long-time partner, who has been his only caddie throughout his professional career.
“He was getting choked up in the locker room,” said the champion. “This is special for both of us, to be part of the great history of this championship and a great accomplishment for us as a team. I could tell what it meant to him because all week at Castle Stuart and at the first three days here he said to me coming down the first, ‘slow down, let’s enjoy this’, because I was too excited, but today on the first he was walking too fast and I had to reverse it on him.”
Mackay added that both men loved playing in Scotland and it “meant the world” to them to win twice in two weeks, and now Bones feels Mickelson is playing the best golf of his career at 43.
“I’ve got to be honest, I love the place myself and that makes the Open win even more special because it came in Scotland.
“As everyone knows, when he played links golf initially, it was not good enough, but one of my favourite things about working for Phil is when we see something in his game that is not up to par, he goes home and fixes it.
“He had to go home and take steps to remedy his faults and he did.”
He continued: “Last week at Castle Stuart, he began taking the steps to remedy the links situation and he took the ultimate step at Muirfield.”
Mickelson’s desolation at missing the cut last year at Lytham, visible to all who saw him on the Friday, was another catalyst.
“Phil comes to win, but you can only do so a percentage of the time — he missed the cut at Lytham and it hurt because he had come so far, played the Scottish Open the week before to prepare and then didn’t get it done.
“But he dearly wanted an Open, and now he’s got one.”