After six years together, former world No. 1 Luke Donald has been ditched by his long-time looper.
The Mirror reports that Donald is “a little bit surprised” that John McLaren is in search of another job after the pair combined for nearly $30 million in earnings for Donald between the PGA and European tours. The standard 10 percent caddie rate would mean McLaren earned between $2 and $3 million working for Donald.
The former world No. 1’s last victory came at the 2013 Dunlop Phoenix, a Japan Golf Tour event he won two years in a row, but he’s fallen to 66th in the world after spending a total of 56 weeks atop the ranking between May 2011 and August 2012.
NEWSLETTERS: Sign up to get the latest golf news in your inbox
“It was more his decision than mine. I was a little surprised,” Donald told the Mirror. “Now I am looking for someone who is energetic, upbeat and brings a good energy to the round.”
McLaren had the following to say regarding the split with Donald:
“I just felt it had run its course. There were just a couple of things that I don’t need to go into that made me feel it was time for a change.”
Ahead of this year’s British Open at St. Andrews McLaren wrote a column for GolfMagic.com in which he stated:
“The caddie’s role has increased dramatically. It is so much more intense. Modern players leave no stone unturned and Luke expects a lot from me. I know him better than anyone, including his team and family. Nobody is as close as a caddie in terms of being out there when it is actually happening. When the crunch comes it it just you two. You need to be confident in what you’re saying and that it is based on what you’ve learned of his personality.”
Donald’s current caddie at the British Masters in England is Dean Elliot, who has worked previously for Stephen Ames and Greg Chalmers among others. He will reportedly try out other options before the year ends.
