Life is extremely good for Ted Scott right now. The caddie is working for World No.1, Scottie Scheffler and he has the best seat in the house as the 27-year-old runs riot through almost every PGA Tour field that is put together.
While he, of course, still has to work hard carrying that heavy tour bag and ensuring he gives Scheffler the right number on each occasion, Scott has likely been extremely well compensated by his boss once the final running order has been set on Sunday night (or in the case of the RBC Heritage, Monday morning).
Assuming that Scheffler adheres to what is thought to be the standard cut for a caddie on the PGA Tour - which usually sees the looper earn 10% of the winner's check and between 5-7% depending on how high up a player finishes - Scott could well have taken home a bonus of over $1.8 million so far this season.
If he were eligible, that would put Scott 52nd in the PGA Tour's money list for 2024 - ahead of players like Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee - and means he has earned considerably more than the average PGA Tour player at this point ($1,186,559).
Bag staff are usually paid a yearly salary or kept on a retainer anyway, with each week presenting a new opportunity for an extra bump in their earnings.
Beginning with a T5 result at The Sentry in what was the opening event of the new season, Scheffler earned a very healthy $690,500 check. Assuming that Scott earned seven per cent, the caddie would have taken home $48,355.
After an uncharacteristic week at the American Express where Scheffler *only* finished T17 and won *just* $132,300, his caddie is likely to have picked up a $6,615 check.
That "slump" was quickly arrested, though, with Scheffler securing three top-10s in a row over the course of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, WM Phoenix Open, and the Genesis Invitational which secured him $1,616,700 in prize money - $113,169 of which may have gone to Scott.
From there, Scheffler went on a run that has seldom been seen on the PGA Tour - with Nelly Korda scooping five wins in a row on the LPGA Tour at a similar time. Starting with the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Scheffler then claimed The Players Championship before coming second to Stephan Jaeger at the Texas Children's Houston Open.
To make up for that mild disappointment, the World No.1 took his frustrations out on the best golfers in the world by winning his second Masters title at a canter. The following week, he romped to victory at the RBC Heritage - four trophies in five starts.
In the space of 44 days, Scheffler earned $16,253,735 in prize money and could well have shared $1,608,761 of that with his looper.
Following a three-week break as he and wife Meredith awaited the arrival of their first-born son, Bennett, Scheffler returned to the course at the PGA Championship and produced a fantastic result - given the circumstances.
Scheffler was arrested on Friday morning outside Valhalla Golf Club but collected himself to ultimately finish in a tie for eighth, scooping over $500,000 for his troubles. A little more than $40,000 could have been passed on to Scott, despite the bagman missing Saturday to attend his daughter's high-school graduation ceremony.
So far this season, Scott's total bonus payment stands at $1,817,325 from 11 events.
