Collin Morikawa Appoints Joe Greiner As Full-Time Caddie After Splitting With JJ Jakovac

Collin Morikawa has turned to Max Homa's former caddie after six years with Jakovac

Collin Morikawa takes a shot at The Masters
Collin Morikawa has turned to Joe Greiner as JJ Jakovac's replacement
(Image credit: Getty Images)
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Collin Morikawa has parted ways with caddie JJ Jakovac after six years, with Joe Greiner coming in as his immediate full-time replacement.

The move, which was reported by Colt Knost on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio, sees Morikawa bring to an end a hugely successful partnership that included victories in the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open.

Morikawa has six PGA Tour titles overall, but the last of those came at the Zozo Championship in October 2023. Still, the 28-year-old’s decision to part company with Jakovac will come as a shock to many because, even though he went winless in 2024, Morikawa’s strong form continued, where he returned to the top 10 of the world rankings after briefly dropping as low as 23rd following a missed cut at the previous year’s Open. Meanwhile, even though he is yet to win this year, he has come close twice with two runner-up placings.

Collin Morikawa and JJ Jokovic at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Collin Morikawa has split with caddie JJ Jakovac

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The first of those came in the opening event of the season when he missed out by three to Hideki Matsuyama at The Sentry. He got closer still in March’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, assuming control of proceedings deep into the final round before Russell Henley’s stunning chip-in eagle at the 16th gave him a lead he didn’t relinquish.

Morikawa, who is currently ranked fourth in the world, also finished T10 at The Players Championship, with a T14 coming in the first Major of the year, The Masters, suggesting his partnership with Jakovac had some room to run. In the end, it lasted for just two more events with the pair’s last tournament together resulting in a missed cut alongside Kurt Kitayama at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Greiner, who split from Max Homa at the start of April, began caddying for Justin Thomas temporarily after his full-time bagman, Matt Minister, sustained a back injury. He first worked alongside Thomas at The Masters, where he finished T36, before he helped him claim his first victory since the 2022 PGA Championship at the RBC Heritage.

Joe Greiner and Justin Thomas pose for a photograph with the RBC Heritage trophy

Joe Greiner helped Justin Thomas win his first tournament since 2022 at the RBC Heritage

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Morikawa had been working with Jakovac since the summer of 2019 and he was alongside him during all six of his PGA Tour wins. His first tournament with Greiner will be the Truist Championship, which begins on May 8th.

Mike Hall
Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

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