Kuchar's Mexican Caddie Says He Was Paid $5,000
David 'Girol' Ortiz, known as 'Tucan', said he was paid $5,000 after Kuchar earned $1.3m with him on the bag


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David 'Girol' Ortiz, known as 'Tucan', said he was paid $5,000 after Kuchar earned $1.3m with him on the bag
Kuchar's Mexican Caddie Says He Was Paid $5,000
Matt Kuchar was recently embroiled in controversy after reports surfaced that he had paid his stand-in caddie just $3,000 following his Mayakoba Golf Classic win in November.
At the time, Kuchar admitted that he hadn't paid him the usual 10% a Tour caddie would get when their player wins, but did say that it wasn't $3,000 that he paid his bagman for the week.
David 'Girol' Ortiz, known as 'Tucan', stood in for Kuchar's regular caddie at the Mayakoba and has now spoken out, saying that he got paid $5,000 from Kuch.
He revealed that Kuchar gave him an envelope with the $5,000 cash in after the tournament.
In an interview with Golf.com's Michael Bamberger, Tucan said that Kuchar offered him an extra $15,000 but he declined.
“No thank you. They can keep their money," he said to Golf.com (opens in new tab).
He also said that he hoped he would earn anything up to $130,000 for the week and that he won't be caddying for him at next year's tournament.
Tucan used Google Translate to email Kuchar's agent Mark Steinberg, saying “I am a humble man, who takes care of his family, and works hard.
"I am reaching out to you to see if you can facilitate me receiving a fair amount for my help with Matt winning $1,296,000. I am not looking to disparage Matt or give him a bad name. Fair is fair, and I feel like I was taken advantage of by placing my trust in Matt.”
Tucan told Golf.com (opens in new tab) that he didn't expect the full $130,000 10% fee but did expect around $50,000 for his contribution to the victory.
Steinberg sent an email to the caddie saying, “I am out of the country. What Matt has offered is fair.”
Tucan said via translate, “Matt is a good person and a great player. He treated me very well. I am only disappointed by how it all finished.”
At the time, Ortiz wanted to return as Kuchar's caddie for the 2019 tournament to see if the pair could defend the title.
He has now changed his mind. “No thank you. I’m a little bit pissed, a little bit confused," he said.
Steinberg emailed Golf.com this week saying, “The “reports [sic] on what Matt’s caddie was offered are wildly inaccurate. However, it is inappropriate to discuss those amounts publicly.”
Matt Kuchar is a 10-time PGA Tour winner with career earnings of $46.6m.
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Elliott Heath is our Senior Staff Writer and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016. He graduated in Sports Journalism in 2016 and currently manages the Golf Monthly news, courses and travel sections as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Elliott has interviewed some huge names in the golf world including Sergio Garcia, Thomas Bjorn, Bernd Wiesberger and Scotty Cameron as well as a number of professionals on the DP World and PGA Tours. He has also covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as three Open Championships including at Carnoustie in 2018 when he was inside the ropes with Tiger Woods. He has played 31 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Old Head and Alwoodley. He currently plays at West Byfleet Golf Club in Surrey, where his handicap index floats anywhere between 4-6. His golfing highlight is making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, and he has made one hole-in-one.
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