Who Is Collin Morikawa's Caddie?
Collin Morikawa currently has J.J. Jakovac on the bag – a man who was quite the golfer himself. Jakovac won two individual national championships for California State University, also known as the Chico State Wildcats.
From there, he turned professional but didn’t get through Q-School and flamed out. At that point, he took a caddie job with fellow American Ryan Moore in a partnership that lasted seven-and-a-half years. The spell saw Jakovac caddying for Moore in the deciding 2016 Ryder Cup match – a moment Jakovac considered his career highlight at that point.
The pair went their separate ways after the 2019 PGA Championship. While Jakovac was at home in Napa, California, he recognised the up-and-coming talent of Morikawa. He asked an agent friend to get in touch with Morikawa’s team about the prospect of teaming up together. They eventually met at the sectional qualifier for the 2019 US Open at Pebble Beach, Morikawa advanced and the partnership was born.
Since then, the pair have found rapid success with wins at the 2019 Barracuda Championship, 2020 Workday Charity Open and 2020 PGA Championship. Things got even better in 2021, with victories at the WGC-Workday Championship, Open Championship and the DP World Tour Championship. Morikawa’s Open Championship win was made extra-special for Jakovac as it was his 39th birthday. To help mark the occasion, Morikawa led the crowd in a rendition of Happy Birthday to his caddie.
“The best thing about him is his head,” Jakovac said of Morikawa during a conversation with PGA Tour.com in 2020. “I know the courses, but he thinks like a caddie out there, which is cool. He doesn’t play too conservative - he plays smart. He’s very methodical about the way he plots it around. I was saying this to someone, and they said, ‘So he’s like a 10-year veteran.’ I said, ‘He’s better than most of those guys in the mental aspect.’”
Away from golf, Jakovac is a huge San Francisco Giants fan, which made that 2020 PGA Championship victory at the city’s TPC Harding Park all the sweeter.
How Much Does Collin Morikawa’s Caddie Make?
Jakovac is one of the game’s best-paid caddies, primarily thanks to his work with Morikawa. He reportedly earned $486,000 in 2020, and over $200,000 for his part in Morikawa’s 2021 Open Championship win (Morikawa won $2.07m and caddies typically receive between 5% and 10% of the prize money). Morikawa earned over $7m in 2020-21, so it’s estimated Jakovac earned as much as $700,000.
