Alex Smalley is slowly, but surely, becoming a major player on the PGA Tour, so now's the time to get to know his caddie.
After joining the PGA Tour in 2021, thanks to his success on the Korn Ferry Tour, Smalley has steadily built a solid reputation for himself.
A T2nd finish at both the 2023 John Deere Classic and the 2022 Corales Puntacana stand out as his biggest achievements thus far.
Along the way, Smalley has had two key figures by his side over the course of his career. As with any golfer, no support act is more important than a caddie.
Here's everything you need to know about Smalley's caddie, Don Donatello.
Donatello has been on Smalley's bag since 2021, receiving a late call to join the golfer for the John Deere Classic.
That was supposed to be a one-off, but Donatello has been working with Smalley ever since.
The no-nonsense, highly-experienced caddie has previously worked with the likes of KJ Choi, Billy Horschel, Kevin Na, and Chris DiMarco.
After formerly competing briefly on the Korn Ferry Tour himself, Donatello moved away from playing to take up his role as caddie. He's also participated in The Big Break on The Golf Channel many times, and has won a car and $5,000 for his golf talents.
Upon taking on the role with Smalley, Donatello said: “I knew the kid was pretty special right off the bat. You could tell just the way his demeanor is and just the way he acts. He acts like he belongs here."
Funnily enough, Donatello replaced Smalley's mom as his caddie. Dubbed Smalley's "momager", Maria is now responsible for looking after the player's stats and the commercial side of his game.
Maria Smalley had been on the bag for her son throughout his career until Donatello took over. Meanwhile, his father, Terry, had taken care of those duties during his junior career.
Now, his mother simply watches from the sidelines and tries to stop herself "going crazy" with nerves.
