The winning caddie at this year’s AIG Women’s Open is set to make more than any other caddie in the tournament’s history.
The R&A announced on Wednesday that the prize money for this week’s event at St Andrews’ Old Course will be a record $9.5 million, with the winner getting $1.425m.
The total prize money is boosted by $500,000 from last year, and almost three-and-a-half times the amount on offer the last time the event was contested at St Andrews in 2013.
This year’s winning caddie is set to take home $142,500, which is 10 percent of the prize money for first place.
While the exact amount professional caddies make varies, with every player/caddie agreement slightly different, it is generally accepted that loopers get a 10 percent cut of the prize money when their player wins a tournament.
Lilia Vu took home $1.35m when she won her second Major title at the 2023 Women’s Open at Walton Heath Golf Club, meaning her caddie Cole Pensanti likely earned $135,000.
In her most successful year to date, Vu also won three other tournaments in 2023, including the Chevron Championship, which also made it Pensanti’s most lucrative year as a professional caddie.
Professional caddies also make a baseline salary every week, on top of the percentage of prize money, which is all agreed upon with the player – although most loopers pay their own expenses.
While a 10 percent cut of the prize money for caddies is generally assumed if their player wins an event, they are likely to receive a smaller percentage for lower finishes.
On the PGA Tour, caddies make on average $2,000 a week, according to veteran looper Brennan Little.
“I think $2,000 a week is pretty average, but everything is worked out between you and the player,” Little, a veteran caddie of 25 years, told Golf Monthly in 2022.
“After a few years you’ll get a raise. Or you’ll get bonuses at the end of the year. It just varies by the player. I think generally if you were looking for a number it would be $2,000 a week, and then 7 to 8 percent and 10 percent [of the prize money].”
The baseline salaries for caddies on the LPGA Tour is likely to be less than those on the PGA Tour, with purses being lower for the women, but the percentage of prize money is likely to be similar on both tours.
