"It came out of left field very recently," Mackay told Golf
Channel on Thursday. "I have just tremendous respect for
(Thomas) as a person and a player. It was an incredible phone
call to get and I said yes."
Mackay has previously worked with Thomas, a 14-time PGA Tour
winner and 2017 FedExCup champion, stepping in on multiple
occasion for previous caddie, Jimmy Johnson. Mackay first filled
in for Johnson, who was recently inducted into the Caddie Hall
of Fame, at the 2018 Sony Open (Thomas finished T-14), and he
stepped in again in 2020 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational,
which Thomas won by three strokes over recent fellow U.S. Ryder
Cup teammates Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger, and assistant
captain Mickelson.
Johnson, who was sidelined due to injury during those events,
had been on Thomas' bag since his rookie year on Tour in 2015.
Thomas recently competed in his second Ryder Cup for Team USA,
which won the biennial matches vs. Team Europe 19-9. Thomas went
2-1-0 at Whistling Straits.
Mackay will continue his work as an on-course reporter when
available, including next week's Shriners Children's Open in Las
Vegas.
"I love to caddie, and I loved my role with NBC/Golf Channel,"
Mackay said, "but it's Justin Thomas."
--Field Level Media
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