Caddies Push for a Share of Sponsorship Money

Starting this season, that value will be acknowledged on the European Tour. Caddies will be paid, through the caddie association, to have a logo on items associated with their trade, like a hat, bag strap, towel, even yardage books. As it stands now, a player pays the caddie a weekly fee, mostly to cover expenses, and a percentage of his earnings, which could be as high as 10 percent for a win.

The new agreement is meant to help all caddies, particularly those carrying bags for lesser-known players, because those players make fewer cuts and their caddies struggle without the percentage.

“This is not for the guy who caddies for the seventh-ranked player in the world, since he does very nicely,” said Sean Russell, the chairman of the European Tour Caddies Association and a professional caddie. “This is for the guy who caddies for the 157th-ranked player. If you do the math, that caddie probably earned 12,000 euros (about $13,000) in bonus payments over the fixed fee for the week that covers expenses. If you’re earning a 12,000-euro bonus you’d be better off stacking shelves.”

The caddies’ association, which represents about 130 caddies, worked with the European Tour to create guidelines for sponsorship. The goal was to give caddies, who work as independent contactors for their players, not for the tour itself, an additional source of income.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/15/sports/golf/caddies-sponsorship-money.html?emc=rss&partner=rss