Kevin McAlpine - former caddie to Lexi Thompson and Martin Laird - dies aged 39

Kevin McApline - former caddie for the likes of Lexi Thompson and Martin Laird - has died in America at the age of 39.

The Scotsman’s family say he had been unwell in the US but was “believed to be on the mend” and the news has come as a significant shock.

Speaking to The Courier in Scotland, McAlpine’s dad Hamish - who is a former soccer star with Dundee United - said: “We can confirm that Kevin has passed away in America. We are completely in the dark about what has happened. It is true that he has been unwell but we believed he was on the mend.

“There is to be an autopsy and at the moment there is very little we can say. We really don’t want to talk about this at this stage. As a family we are completely devastated. You can imagine how we are feeling.”

McAlpine was a former Scottish Amateur champion (2006) who harboured designs of making it as a professional, playing at Colorado State University, before turning his attention to caddying after a short stint selling kids’ golf equipment in the United Kingdom.

The Scot landed his role as Thompson’s assistant in 2017 and was quickly called into helping the American navigate through a difficult final round at the ANA Inspiration, where Thompson sustained a controversial four-stroke penalty prior to losing in a playoff against So Yeon Ryu.

McAlpine and Thompson went on to work together for 18 months until it was announced that the pair would go their separate ways in the build-up to the 2018 CME Group Championship.

Holder of the lowest round on the Old Course at St Andrews by an amateur (62), McAlpine also took on bag responsibilities for Amy Yang before switching to compatriot Laird in 2021.

McAlpine married three-time Major winner Anna Nordqvist in August 2022 - after being engaged for several years - but the couple announced they were getting divorced just 12 months later.

After shooting an opening-round 69 at this week’s BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea, Nordqvist withdrew from the event in order to fly back to the U.S.