On Thursday afternoon at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Joe LaCava will step to the first tee box with a bag slung around his shoulder, and for the first time, a second question will follow that simple act.
Which Joe LaCava?
Yes, on Thursday and Friday at the API, the group of the day — at least for one New York metro area community — will belong to Patrick Cantlay and Joe Highsmith. More specifically, though, the group of the day will belong to the players’ caddies, Joe LaCava III and his son, Joe IV, who will be sharing an afternoon walk for the first time in their PGA Tour careers.
You likely know the LaCavas already. The elder Joe is one of the game’s most decorated loopers, a no-nonsense guy from Newtown, Conn. who ascended up the golf ranks with Fred Couples and eventually spent a decade on Tiger Woods’ bag, an effort that culminated in Woods’ victory at the 2019 Masters. LaCava left Woods’ bag in 2023 for a more regular loop with Patrick Cantlay, where he remains today. A diehard New York Giants fan, big Joe is an easy spot at many tournaments — his native blue-and-red popping from the attire underneath his caddie bib.
LaCava IV, however, is a new addition to the professional game. Little Joe joined his buddy Joe Highsmith’s bag at the beginning of 2025, and rode with the PGA Tour first-timer all the way to his first victory at last week’s Cognizant Classic. Keen golf fans will recognize his name: Joe IV has been arguably the caddie world’s most famous surrogate over the last several years, filling in as Charlie Woods’ caddie during the annual PNC Championship.
The younger LaCava’s journey to caddying followed a nonlinear path. He spent four years at James Madison University, where he graduated with a degree in marketing and debated pursuing a career in insurance. Still, golf was calling, and so Joe IV went to Winged Foot, where he spent several years in the club’s caddie program. He remained in the orbit of a handful of young pro golfers during that time, including Highsmith, who eventually invited LaCava IV out for the start of the ’25 season.
“Kinda like Fred with me back in ‘90,” LaCava Sr. told SI over the weekend. “I work four weeks on West Coast, Fred never really tells me if I have the job or not. Says after LA, ‘see ya in Florida.’”
When Highsmith shot 64 for the second straight day last weekend to win the Cognizant Classic, LaCava IV knew his life had changed too. A victory didn’t just lock up a year’s salary for the younger LaCava, it also secured Signature Event status for Highsmith for the remainder of the 2025 season. Signature status would bring the twenty-something caddie into the orbit of the game’s highest-paying tournaments — and also nearer to his dad.
After the victory, Highsmith and LaCava made the short journey from West Palm to Bay Hill, where they started a crash course on the week’s new challenge. It wasn’t long after they arrived, though, that a second piece of information followed: The pair would be spending their first two rounds alongside a friendly face, Patrick Cantlay, and his caddie, Joe Sr.
Father and Son will be on the bag together beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET on Thursday afternoon at Bay Hill, and you can bet the rest of the LaCava family will be watching along closely. For LaCava Sr., the round will be an opportunity to spend some precious time inside the ropes alongside his son, but for LaCava Jr. the opportunity is even bigger: the chance to build a family passion into a career of his own.
“He’s a great caddie,” Highsmith said after his victory at the Cog. “He’s really good at what he does, but he’s also just one of the boys, and we have a pretty good time out there, and he just keeps it light.”
LaCava IV will look to keep the good times rolling on Thursday afternoon at the Arnold Palmer, and again on Friday morning. With Dad watching from up close, that shouldn’t be too hard.
