Rose Zhang may have only turned professional in May 2023 and gone on to make a superb start to life on the LPGA Tour, but the young American was quick to move on from her first caddie, Jason Gilroyed.
Zhang chose to go with Gilroyed initially after the pair met at Stanford earlier in the year, playing a round at Pebble Beach - the site of the 2023 US Women’s Open - the next day.
Gilroyed was clearly left impressed, later saying: “She shot four-under pretty easily at 6am at Pebble when it was pretty cold. If I had to describe her game it would be more a Jin Young [Ko]. You know it’s going to be about precision.”
The pair worked together from her pro debut that summer until mid-October, winning the Mizuho Americas Open to extend the Canadian's excellent pro record and ensure Zhang became the first LPGA Tour player to win on her pro debut since 1951.
Perhaps Gilroyed's most infamous moment was when he was sacked midway through a round whilst caddying for Jessica Korda. The incident occurred in the third round of the 2013 US Women’s Open after an argument broke out between the pair at the start of the back nine.
In the end, Korda’s then-boyfriend, now husband Johnny DelPrete took over the bag for the rest of the tournament with the American going on to finish the week at Sebonack in a tie for seventh.
In total, Gilroyed has won 26 times, including four Major championships, and has worked with numerous world-class golfers including Rosie Jones, Cristie Kerr, Jessica Korda, Anna Nordqvist, Alison Lee, and Minjee Lee.
Who Is Rose Zhang's Caddie?
However, the paring of Zhang and Gilroyed lasted only four months before the young Californian chose to go in a different direction and use local caddies at the start of the LPGA Tour's Asia Swing.
After two weeks without a permanent looper, Zhang was set up with English caddie, Olly Brett by her agent, Kevin Hopkins. They began working together at the Maybank Championship in October 2023, at which Zhang finished in a tie for third.
In response to Golf Digest's question to Zhang about the reason for the change, she replied: "After the Solheim Cup, I just felt like for me to really bring myself out, I wanted maybe a little bit of a different voice on the golf course just to change it up.
"I feel like I'm still a rookie, and I still have lots to learn, and kudos to Gilly [Jason Gilroyed] for really just carrying me all the way. But I felt like maybe it was time for something different, and Olly was just such an amazing pick. I felt like just having him was a great start to this new voice."
Brett - who grew up in Leicestershire, England - caddied for Mike Weir on the PGA Tour Champions in 2023 after a six-season spell of looping for Danielle Kang between 2017 and 2022, where they won five times. He is also Emily Kristine Pedersen's boyfriend.
Speaking to PLTCA (Professional Ladies Tour Caddie Association) recently, Brett revealed that he began caddying during his later teenage years after making the yardage books on the Ladies European Tour and men's DP World Tour.
During weeks off, he would be asked to fill in for absent caddies. Before long, Brett said he was approached by a DP World Tour player who asked him to start full-time and his caddying career took off from there.
