Longtime Tour caddie and popular broadcaster Jim “Bones” Mackay is heading back to the small screen for full-time broadcast work for NBC/Golf Channel, network president Sam Flood confirmed in a media conference call.
While Mackay was previously announced as part of next week’s U.S. Open broadcast team in Pinehurst, his full-time return is welcome news for golf fans, who have enjoyed his insights since his broadcast debut at the 2015 RSM Classic, alongside fellow caddie John Wood.
Prior to working for NBC, Mackay made a name for himself as one of the best caddies on Tour, spending 25 years on the bag for Phil Mickelson before the duo’s split in 2017. Mickelson won 41 PGA Tour tournaments, including five major championships, with Mackay.
Almost immediately after splitting with Mickelson, Mackay was hired as a full-time on-course reporter for NBC and Golf Channel. He worked as a fill-in caddie for Justin Thomas on two occasions before Thomas hired him as a full-time bagman in 2021.
“I love to caddie and I loved my role with NBC/Golf Channel, but it’s Justin Thomas,” Mackay told Golf Channel at the time.
Mackay’s partnership with Thomas was highlighted by Thomas’ victory at the PGA Championship in 2022 — the pair’s only win together.
Mackay kept a toe in the broadcast water throughout his tenure with Thomas, working tournaments like the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. In February, at the Mexico Open at Vidanta, Mackay became the first active caddie ever to serve as a lead analyst.
In April, Thomas and Mackay parted ways, and it wasn’t long before TV came calling once more. Does this mean Mackay, now 59, is hanging up his bib for good?
“Television is my No. 1 priority and I’ll do what I did before — if someone is sick or between caddies and needs a guy for a week and it’s not an NBC event, then I’d be happy to help out,” Mackay told Golfweek’s Adam Schupak. “But beyond that I will be doing TV primarily as far as what I do for a living.”
