Who is Talor Gooch’s caddie? LIV star's bagman makes over $1 million in just 8 days
Talor Gooch won the second consecutive event of the LIV Golf League 2023 season by beating Sergio Garcia in a playoff at the Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore on Sunday. The 31-year-old golfer became the first professional in the breakaway league to win two back-to-back events. These two wins not only helped Gooch win $8 million within an eight-day interval, but his Australian caddie, Mal Baker, was also able to make nearly $1 million.
Caddie usually gets 10% of the winner's sum, so Baker must have received at least $800,000 from the individual prize money. Gooch is part of the RangeGoats, who also won the team portion in Singapore after finishing runner-up in Adelaide. This adds up to $4.5 million as a winning sum in two events.
Talor's share from the team portion will be $1.25 million, which means Baker won another $125,000, taking his two-week earnings to $925,000. Baker, whose full name is Malcolm Baker, has been carrying Gooch's bag for six years. He himself is a good golfer, as he has a handicap of 2.
Talor had thanked Baker after his win at Adelaide. He was quoted as saying via Australian Golf Digest:
"His green reading ability out here is incredible. I leaned on him more this week than I have in a long time. He was so spot on early on, and it just gave me confidence in him, and I think it gave confidence in himself."
Baker's earnings from the two events are almost equal to Jon Rahm's from the runner-up finish at the Mexico Open.
There is no shortage of money on the Saudi-backed circuit, as each event has a purse size of $25 million. The shorter schedule and bigger prizes were two of the main reasons why many big names on the PGA Tour decided to switch to the new league.
Not just players, but their caddies are also at an advantage and have been earning quite well in the PIF-sponsored league.
The arrival of LIV Golf last year forced the PGA Tour to introduce designated elevated events this season that significantly raised the purse size of some of the most prominent events on the Tour. The prize money ranges from $15 million to $25 million in these events.
What's next for Talor Gooch and his caddie, Mal Baker?
Talor Gooch is in great form after clinching two titles in eight days. He will now be on a 12-day break as the next LIV event will take place from May 12 to May 14 at Cedar Ridge Country Club, Tulsa.
Gooch currently leads the season standings with 92 points, followed by Peter Uihlein with 73. Brooks Koepka, who won the LIV Golf Orlando, sits third. Koepka also finished third at LIV Golf Singapore.
In the team portion, 4Aces lead with 96 points. 4Aces, which is captained by Dustin Johnson, won the Adelaide event last week and has finished 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, and 9th in other events. They are followed by Torque GC and Fireballs GC in second and third place, respectively.