When Ruoning Yin won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club, she did so with a caddie she’d only known for a few weeks, a veteran by the name of Jon Lehman.
That was in June 2023, and Yin, who was just 20 years at the time, had been with Lehman for just a couple of tournaments.
The pair were still working together at the US Women’s Open the following month, although at some point after that, Yin and Lehman parted company. By the end of the year, another veteran caddie, David Jones, had taken over duties on the bag.
Jones grew up in Derry, Northern Ireland, and started his caddying career on the European Tour (now DP World Tour) after which he made the switch to the LPGA Tour.
The Ulsterman has caddied for a number of big names on the LPGA Tour - and he's contributed to a decent amount of success, too. He was on the bag for In Gee Chun when she won the 2016 Evian Championship and for Sung Hyun Park’s two Major titles at the 2017 US Women’s Open and 2018 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
More recently, Jones has also caddied for Lydia Ko and Leona Maguire. His work ethic and professionalism have also been highlighted by a number of former players, including Ko, who has worked with Jones on more than one occasion.
“I try and be more positive when I’m on the golf course, and he definitely helps me with that,” Ko said of Jones when they were working together in early 2023. “I think his knowledge with that playing background helps.”
As well as caddying for a number of female players, Jones has also worked with some top male players, one of the most recent of which was four-time PGA Tour winner Nick Taylor.
Jones used to be a golf professional and remains a more than decent player himself, and he says that caddying is the next best thing to coming down the stretch as a player.
