8x PGA Tour Winner Sends Subtle Message to Winless Collin Morikawa and Co. Amid Constant Tinkering

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Billy Horschel, who’s likely to miss the rest of the season’s PGA Tour events due to a hip injury, said, “It’s an unfortunate situation with so many great events left on the calendar, but this is a preventative measure.” In the following weeks, however, he promised to return “to the course this fall.” Regardless, the PGA Tour winner is keeping up with the drama at the American circuit, especially when it comes to the recent player-caddie splits.

That situation in question: Collin Morikawa recently parted ways with his caddie, Joe Greiner, ahead of the 2025 Rocket Classic, just two months after they began working together. The reason? A winless streak following his last win at the 2023 Baycurrent Classic. Similarly, in 2024, Max Homa parted ways with his swing coach, Mark Blackburn, after a series of poor performances. In 2025, he first split with caddie Joe Greiner and then with Bill Harke in June for the same reason. But if you ask Billy Horschel about these recent shifts in the Tour pros’ teams, he’d likely tell them not to “panic.”

Billy Horschel recently joined John Huggan for an interview on The Thing About Golf Podcast to discuss “some wisdom and perspective” he gathered from “his 16-year professional career.” Of course, that includes his thoughts on the current trend at the PGA Tour: the player-caddie split during bad runs. Horschel begins, “I don’t think I’ve ever panicked too… panic would’ve been changing things. What you see a lot of times, when guys struggle a little bit, they start making changes, and for me… I stayed with the same coach.”

Billy Horschel has worked with his coach, Todd Anderson, since 2008, when he was nearing graduation from the University of Florida as an All-American talent. A major shake-up came in 2017 when Horschel parted ways with his long-time caddie, Micah Fugitt, after five and a half years together. The reason? Fugitt explained, “Billy told me he needed to change things up. Sometimes a fresh start is good for the player and caddie.” The two, however, reunited in 2023. Now, reflecting on the split, Horschel admits it was “a little tough part there for a little bit.”

Horschel says that he didn’t make the changes because “we’ve been successful. And, I think, some people, when they start not seeing the results, they panic. And I think they’ve achieved what they have with these people or their team. They gotta bring new people to get to the next level. And for me, I never thought about that. I am like I know what I have in this team. I know what we’ve accomplished. We still have so much more to accomplish. We just need to figure out what’s going on and sort of fit the pieces back together again.”

 

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Billy Horschel and caddie Micah Fugitt have had a successful partnership from 2012 to 2017, securing multiple wins, including the 2014 BMW Championship and TOUR Championship, which helped Horschel win the FedEx Cup that year. After reuniting in May 2023, they added another victory to their tally when Horschel claimed his eighth PGA Tour win at the 2024 Corales Puntacana Championship. And although Horschel managed to maintain his cool during frustrating moments, the other Tour pros likely couldn’t.

For instance, in March 2025, when Matt Fitzpatrick parted ways with his caddie, Billy Foster, after six years together, Foster cited Fitzpatrick’s “frustration” as a likely reason for the split. Early this year, Foster said to Mirror U.S. Sports, “Matt has struggled with his game over the last few months and as a golfer, it is unbelievably frustrating. Ultimately it’s a results business and when it gets to the stage that you’re not enjoying it out there it’s always time to freshen things up.”

Could a little bit of patience have helped? Likely, if you agree with Billy Horschel’s statement. On the other hand, one particular player-caddie pair on the Tour exemplifies the benefits of sticking together and working through issues.

How does Scottie Scheffler and Ted Scott make their partnership work?

Scottie Scheffler and caddie Ted Scott have developed a strong partnership, especially in moments of frustration on the course. Their collaboration started in late 2021 when Scheffler reached out to Scott after parting ways with Bubba Watson. Initially hesitant, Scott expressed concerns about Scheffler’s attitude, saying, “I said, ‘I don’t know if I want to work for you because of your attitude.’” But when Scott posed that question to Scheffler, he responded, “’That’s a fair question and I’m willing to work on it.’” Scott agreed in 2024, “All I need is a little bit of hope and I’m willing to get behind anybody.”

During the 2024 Masters, Scheffler faced a rocky start, hitting only one of his first four greens in regulation. Despite this, he credited Scott for keeping them focused. He said, “Teddy did a great job of making sure that we kept the golf course in front of us.” Scott’s support has been crucial in high-pressure situations. For example, on the 13th hole at the 2024 Masters, when Scheffler faced a decision about going for the green, Scott encouraged him, saying, “Why don’t we do what we do and what we’re good at?”

So, is it possible to maintain the kind of partnerships Billy Horschel and Scottie Scheffler maintain with their caddies? Absolutely. As Horschel says, the golfers “just need to figure out what’s going on and sort of fit the pieces back together again.”

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