Danish pro Thorbjorn Olesen has been at the top level of golf since gaining his DP World Tour card for the first time in 2011. For the overwhelming majority of his career since, he has worked with caddie Dominic Bott.
Bott is from Yorkshire and was born on October 31, 1973. He began his career as a European Tour caddie for Paul Eales in 1993, having begun life as a part-time caddie on the Challenge Tour with Stephen Bottomley a season earlier.
Still living at home when he embarked on what has become an extremely successful career, Bott went on to caddie for Howard Clark, Raymond Russell and Gary Evans - with the latter finishing runner-up at the 2002 Open Championship after making a bogey five at the last.
Speaking to Hazzad golf, Bott admitted his advice to Evans to take iron instead of driver off the 72nd tee is the one moment in his career he would give anything to change.
After his reputation grew, the Yorkshireman went on to join the likes of Colin Montgomerie, Paul Casey, Graeme Storm, Lee Westwood, and Thomas Bjorn before linking up with Olesen in 2015.
Eagle-Birdie finish 🤯@Thorbjornolesen made two consecutive putts of 30ft and 36ft to win for the first time in four years. #BetfredBritishMasters pic.twitter.com/Vj7BrU6ZGbMay 8, 2022
The die-hard Leeds United fan has experienced 14 victories as a looper, and eight of them have been with Olesen. One of the most unlikely was when the Dane carded an eagle-birdie finish to win the 2022 British Masters after throwing away the lead during a horrible start to round four.
But the pair's first success arrived at the 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, with Olesen going on to make his way into the world's top-50 while also playing at the 2016 and 2024 Olympic Games plus the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National.
Bott was right beside the Dane as he helped Europe to a 17.5 - 10.5 victory in France, too, with Olesen thrashing Jordan Spieth 5&4 in the Sunday Singles. The Englishman called that the second best day of his life (behind the birth of his first daughter). Bott has also been with Olesen for all of his Masters appearances - including the pair's best finish at the 2016 event - T6th - Olesen's debut.
Speaking to Golfshake about life as a caddie back in 2017, Bott said: “I'd say it's one of the toughest jobs going i.e. travel, staying in hotels. I see a hotel, I see a golf course and I see an airport. That’s it.
“As a caddie, you're not allowed to be tired. You've got to be on the ball. It has its ups and downs. The ups are that on Sunday afternoon, somebody's going to be very happy. The downs are, you could miss ten cuts on the trot and you're away from your family. It is tough.
“People say it's a glamorous life staying in nice hotels. But I've stayed in tents and in caravans. I lived it through the old days too."
It's not just the accommodation that is hard, but also the travel. Bott's schedule at the end of 2016 into early 2017 certainly racked up a fair few air miles.
He continued: “We went Turkey, South Africa, Dubai, Australia, home for five weeks at Christmas. Then, at the start of the year we've gone Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Dubai, Australia, week off, Mexico, week off, Orlando, Puerto Rico, home."
It's not all bad, though, Bott has pointed out - with the Leeds fan revealing he has met hero, Eddie Gray, international popstar, Justin Timberlake and former England cricketer, Kevin Pietersen through his job. Bott says he and Pietersen are now good friends. As well as soccer and cricket, Bott also loves darts.
After a brief spell apart from Olesen between 2019 and 2021, working for American Sean Crocker, the Yorkshireman returned to the Dane's side and has remained there ever since for a couple more DP World Tour wins and multiple seasons on the PGA Tour.
