Four-time PGA Tour winner Jhonattan Vegas has worked with veteran Argentinian caddie Ruben Yorio since 2015.
Yorio has been on Vegas’ bag for his last three victories on the PGA Tour, including his recent win at the 3M Open, where he claimed his first title in five years.
Yorio, who grew up in Ezpeleta on the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires, came from humble beginnings.
He lost his father – a railway station worker – to a heart attack at the age of 14, leaving his mother to raise him and his brother on her own.
“We’re from a poor background,” Yorio told Golf Canada in 2018.
Unlike many caddies on the PGA Tour, Yorio didn’t grow up playing golf at a high level. In fact, he wasn’t much of a golfer at all before caddying at his local club for the first time at the age of 12.
He said he discovered caddying after one of his friends showed up one day with “a new bike, new shoes and new clothes” after looping at Ranelagh Golf Club in Buenos Aires.
Yorio’s friend then invited him along to the course, where he would start caddying for the members and make US$20 a day.
He eventually started caddying in the professional ranks by the age of 18, before moving on to stints on the European and LPGA Tours.
Prior to working with Vegas, Yorio had a successful spell with fellow Argentinian Angel Cabrera, with the pair winning the 2009 Masters and the 2014 Greenbrier Classic together.
He also looped for Alvaro Quiros in between, helping the Spaniard win the 2011 Dubai Desert Classic.
When Cabrera’s son started carrying his bag, Yorio decided to move on and started working with Vegas, and has been a permanent fixture of the PGA Tour player’s team ever since.
Jhonattan Vegas celebrates with his caddie Ruben Yorio after winning the 3M Open.
Yorio and Vegas, who is from Venezuela, have formed a strong South American connection, and have both been passionate about growing the game in the region.
"We have to get kids involved in the sport, teach them what a golf club is and how to hit the ball,” Vegas told Arizona Republic in 2023. “I'm sure many good players will come out of it, but if there is no exposure, it will be difficult for golf to grow."
Yorio added similar sentiments: "There would have to be more publicity in Latin America and there would have to be more big tournaments so that people are motivated and want to see themselves reflected in the pro players."
Vegas managed to return to the winner’s circle in 2024 with victory at the 3M Open, having struggled with injuries during most of the 2022-23 season. He has required surgery for an elbow injury and continues to live with pain.
Yorio said Vegas fought through pain on the course to claim a one-stroke victory over Max Greyserman, thanks to a birdie on the 18th in the final round.
“He always was a fighter,” Yorio said of Vegas after the win.
