Who Is Graeme McDowell's Caddie?

Graeme McDowell has been a professional golfer since 2002, beginning on the European Tour before progressing to the PGA Tour and now, finally, the LIV Golf League.

While McDowell is into his third decade in the pro ranks, he has spent most of that time with just one caddie at his side - Ken Comboy. The Englishman initially joined his Northern Irish partner in 2006, having begun looper duties in 1993, recently joking that the pair had been together longer than McDowell and his wife, Kristin Stape.

However, there was a small break of around a month after the start of the duo's journey, with the Lancashire-born caddie returning to his old boss, Thomas Bjorn for a few weeks. But after Comboy realised he might have made a mistake, the caddie called McDowell up and asked if he could come back - to which the player agreed.

It was a couple of years until Comboy and McDowell managed their first win, though, and it was a tense victory at that - in the 2008 Ballantine's Championship. McDowell triumphed in a three-hole playoff against Jeev-Milkha Singh at Pinx Golf Club, South Korea.

On the third extra hole, McDowell and Comboy decided on a seven-iron for their 179-yard second shot in. It turned out to be an excellent decision, and up there as one of the best shots McDowell ever hit in his career, as the ball finished a foot from the hole - leading to a tap-in victory.

Speaking to LIV Golf's Annabel Angel in 2023, Comboy described the pair's relationship as "a little bit like a married couple." He said: "We're very good friends. We've experienced pretty much everything there is to experience in golf together - the highs and the lows.

"Off the course, we're very friendly. There's a lot more to caddying than the golf side of things. Your lives get very much intertwined, and my family crosses over into his family. We live the highs and we live the lows together. Fortunately, there has been plenty of highs, so it's been a pretty good ride."

Annabel Angel Quizzes Graeme McDowell's Caddie | Caddie Tales: Ken Comboy - YouTube

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Speaking of positives, likely to be both men's professional high points arrived during 2010 when McDowell lifted his only Major to date - the US Open - and two other European Tour trophies. Meanwhile, Comboy was awarded the 2010 Caddie of the Year prize, voted for by his peers on the European circuit.

Speaking to what is now the DP World Tour's media team, McDowell said: "Ken's a very worthy winner and someone who's been huge for my career. He's a great friend, a mediator, a psychologist and a coach - everything you can think of.

"To win Caddie of the Year in front of his fellow caddies will mean a lot to him because we all like to be recognised by our peers."

As well as Bjorn, another of Comboy's former employers was LIV Golfer Paul Casey. Yet, their relationship came to an end just days before the 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills after Casey sacked Comboy, citing a lack of confidence in each other as the primary reason for the decision.

Speaking ahead of his Ryder Cup debut at the time, Casey said: "It's unfortunate, but the change had to be made. This is a business and I need to win as many points as I can. The spark that needs to be there and the confidence in each other had gone.

"I am sure Ken is very, very upset and it was not an easy decision to make, but I think we knew it was pretty much over. It was something that was going to happen after this week, but then I made the decision on Sunday. I wanted our relationship (14 months old) to work, but it probably should have ended after the PGA championship or NEC world championship last month."

But now with McDowell - who has accumulated in excess of $20 million in tournament prize money since turning pro - Comboy will likely have earned 5-10% of whatever figure fell the Northern Irishman's way since 2006.