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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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.

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 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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