Justin Thomas got his first win in three years, but this time with a new caddie by his side! He claimed his first PGA Tour victory since the 2022 PGA Championship at the RBC Heritage Classic this year. This new partnership came right after the same caddie had parted ways with Max Homa, who also happens to be his best friend. We all know who that is, right? It is none other than Joe Greiner. Homa has not been doing well with his game recently, so Greiner and the 34-year-old decided to part ways. But Thomas is not the one who got Greiner; it was a short-term partnership. So, who had hired him if not Thomas?
Collin Morikawa hired Greiner after parting ways with his previous caddie, J.J. Jakovac. They’d been working together since 2019, right after Morikawa turned pro. During that time, they won six PGA Tour events, including two major championships in 2020 and 2021. The most impressive of it all? He reached as high as No. 2 during his time with the Jakovac. And it is no surprise given Jakovac’s rich resume in golf: three-time All-American honors at Chico State and two NCAA Division II individual national titles.
But after the 2023 ZOZO Championship, Morikawa has been off his game, and he thought maybe changing the caddie with a new perspective could turn things around this year. Unfortunately, he is not exactly on track. He has put up 3 Top 10 finishes, 7 top 25 finishes, with 2 runner-up finishes in the 10 events he has played in so far. It’s not the caddie; Morikawa’s just been out of the groove lately. No trophies in nearly two years? That tells you his swing and rhythm haven’t quite been in sync. And it’s time that he admitted it.
At the Memorial Tournament presser held in Dublin, Ohio, he was asked if it’s something with his swing or mental pressure. He replied, “It’s a little bit of both. I think when I look back at my past few tournaments, I’ve been making a lot of bogeys… You can’t win golf tournaments like that, making that many bogeys. And to me, that’s a little bit physical, a little bit mental.”
If we have a quick glance at Collin Morikawa’s season so far, he has had a tough few events since THE PLAYERS Championship. He struggled at the RBC Heritage, where he finished T54 and got cut at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans along with Kurt Kitayama after a disappointing second round of golf. His PGA Championship, you may ask? Yeah, he registered a T50 finish.
And the Los Angeles native’s history of near misses in the last year and a half? Yeah, that has been brutal as well. He has finished second in 4 events in 2024 and 2025, including the 2024 Memorial Tournament and Tour Championship. Further, he registered a T17 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Genesis Invitational, and the Truist Championship. Not solid starts, but important lessons to build on for the upcoming events.
Now, pair that with how things have been going with the media, and it adds to the mental pressure. After his tough loss to Russell Henley in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he stormed off without entertaining any questions from the media. However, he did vehemently explain his stance later at THE PLAYERS Championships. But that did not save him from the tight scrutiny of Brandel Chamblee, Rocco Mediate, and Paul McGinley. So, it is not a surprise that he is struggling in one form or the other.
However, with a new caddie, maybe the coming events will look different. But how are things going with the new caddie?
What made his new Caddie call Morikawa “crazy”?
When asked if the 28-year-old finds himself overthinking, Morikawa answered in the affirmative. He said he does and is positive that the other golfers do so as well.“This is the third week with Joe Greiner on the bag, and he’s already called me crazy a lot. And that’s fine. Like, I think golfers are generally crazy. I know I am,” Morikawa said. It hasn’t taken long for the new caddie-player duo to get comfortable. But there has to be more to it; it’s unusual for a new caddie to call a player ‘crazy’ so soon.
When he was asked what exactly made Greiner call him crazy, he replied, “Well, I mean, yesterday’s a great example. I was hitting driver with my normal driver shaft, and it was a little cooler with some wind… I had a couple of driver shafts that were built slightly different… And I was like, ‘Oh, I’m just going to use this one; body’s not moving as good.’ Striped it down the fairway,” Morikawa, always focused on getting every detail right, confessed to switching his driver shafts at the last minute, a move that had his caddie shaking his head. It’s the kind of spontaneous gear-switching that shows how particular, if not impulsive, Morikawa can be about his setup.
Still, Morikawa stands by his approach, “Everything’s important… from the specs we have to the grips you’re using to the grooves on the face. Like, everything matters.” His deep dive into equipment specifics may come off as obsessive to some, but for him, it’s about chasing control in a game filled with variables. But the big question is, will there be a comeback soon?
It’s only been three weeks, but can this caddie switch be the reason for his comeback? Will this be it? We’ll see in the coming tournaments whether parting ways with his longtime caddie turns out to be the right call or not.
The post Branded ‘Crazy’ by Justin Thomas’ Ex-Caddie, Collin Morikawa Confronts His Fears Amid 19-Month Winless Streak appeared first on EssentiallySports.