Kuchar Pays Caddie $5k, Is Shamed, Pays $50k

[chspeed]

29 minutes ago, klineka said:

There's a difference between thinking that the amount that Kuchar paid the caddie is cheap vs. stating that what Kuchar did was unfair:

Depends your definition of fair. If we're talking about fair as doing "what was agreed to", then yes, it's fair. If on the other hand, we're talking about paying what's equitable, honorable, etc., then in my opinion it's unfair.

[colin007]

Lost in the discussion is the fact that apparently Tom Gillis actually knew something...Lol

[boogielicious]

I haven't really weighed in on this yet but here goes. I am a pretty generous person but I have to side with Kuchar here. The caddy basically carried the clubs and raked the bunkers. He agreed to terms and got a bonus on top of it. Was it cheap? I don't know. What did the other local caddies get that week or last year for doing this. It may be a pretty good deal.

The caddy certainly didn't do what career touring caddies do with their players. Their knowledge of the players abilities/tendencies and scouting of the course is worth a lot compared to just a local guy. They travel a lot. They go ahead of the player and scout the course, etc. They deserve a lot more than this guy and actually have written contracts for their work.

I think Gillis just wants to take a shot at Kuchar for some reason.

[iacas]

[boogielicious]

1 minute ago, iacas said:

I has made the National News on several sites.

[klineka]

2 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

I has made the National News on several sites.

With extremely misleading headlines too...

On CNN "Caddy says pro golfer owes him $45k after win"

No, Kuchar doesn't owe him $45k, the caddie feels he should have been paid $45k. Big difference.

[boogielicious]

4 minutes ago, klineka said:

With extremely misleading headlines too...

On CNN "Caddy says pro golfer owes him $45k after win"

No, Kuchar doesn't owe him $45k, the caddie feels he should have been paid $45k. Big difference.

Hey Lama? How about a little something for the effort?

[Elmer]

 

 

Anyway you fall on this issue, Kuchar is not looking good with the following statement:

“For a guy who makes $200 a day, a $5,000 week is a really big week,” he said.

 

Extremely Rich Golfer Matt Kuchar Defends Stiffing His Caddie

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Back in November, pro golfer Matt Kuchar won the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico, which earned him $1.3 million. It’s customary for golfers on tour to give their caddies a 10-percent cut of their tournament winnings, which...

 

[PeaceFrogg]

Can't judge anybody, but I know would have given the guy $45K, roughly 3 1/2 of my earnings or 1/3 of what I would have paid the normal tour caddie. I would think of it in terms of not only making a normal guy extremely happy, but tell myself that I'm actually $85K ahead of the game.

[iacas]

12 minutes ago, Elmer said:

Anyway you fall on this issue, Kuchar is not looking good with the following statement:

“For a guy who makes $200 a day, a $5,000 week is a really big week,” he said.

It's just a true statement.

The caddie doesn't speak English. He basically literally just carried the bag around, raked a few bunkers, etc. I don't know that I agree that's worth $50k. And El Tucan didn't seem to think it was worth $50k until late January, either…

[MacDutch]

The caddie was his lucky charm, first win in more than 4 years, thats worth big bucks. Kuchar is a cheapskate.

Edited February 14, 2019 by MacDutch

[iacas]

15 minutes ago, MacDutch said:

The caddie was his lucky charm, first win in more than 4 years, thats worth big bucks. Kuchar is a cheapskate.

So it wasn't the magic crystal he bought on Monday?

Lucky charms? Really? The guy carried a bag and raked some bunkers.

[topspin4hand]

8 hours ago, saevel25 said:

Basically you are asking that he gives up 60-65% of his after tax winnings per tournament to the caddie! 

This is a great illustration of why extrapolation is not a great form of logic sometimes. I think Matt second guessed his $2k bonus (on top of the initially agreed $3k) when he later offered another $15k after this episode started to gain attention. $15k should have been the starting point for figuring out the caddie's tourney bonus IMO.

The negative publicity far outweighs the thousands Kuch saved ...

Edited February 14, 2019 by topspin4hand

[chspeed]

5 hours ago, boogielicious said:

What did the other local caddies get that week or last year for doing this. It may be a pretty good deal.

Good question. Problem is, I doubt a local caddie in Mexico has carried the bag for the winner at a PGA event. Has this happened in the states? If so, it would be interesting to see what percentage of the pot they were paid.

[chspeed]

Let's break down Matt Kuchar's response to his caddie controversy and see how it's not helping - Golf Digest

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[Carl3]

10 hours ago, Yukari said:

Phil would never do something like that.

Exactly. Phil is a big, generous tipper and carries like $8k in cash in his bag for betting, tipping, etc.

[Chris223]

I think my big issue is Kuchar supposedly stated an unspecified bonus for placement or whatnot... wins, and gives the guy what, .3%???  He lost me as a fan, cheap ass.

[Elmer]

17 hours ago, iacas said:

It's just a true statement.

The caddie doesn't speak English. He basically literally just carried the bag around, raked a few bunkers, etc. I don't know that I agree that's worth $50k. And El Tucan didn't seem to think it was worth $50k until late January, either…

Per the above posted article:
"What the caddie would receive for a win was not discussed."
"While most people agree with Ortiz that he didn't merit the normal 10 percent, keep in mind the caddie's intake was less than half of ONE percent"
Kucher won 1.3 million and is worth nearly 46 million or more.

His actions and comments show how out of touch with working folks he is.
Kucher is another example of why golf is seen as a elitist. 

16 hours ago, topspin4hand said:

This is a great illustration of why extrapolation is not a great form of logic sometimes. I think Matt second guessed his $2k bonus (on top of the initially agreed $3k) when he later offered another $15k after this episode started to gain attention. $15k should have been the starting point for figuring out the caddie's tourney bonus IMO.

The negative publicity far outweighs the thousands Kuch saved ...

Once the story is on Pardon The Interruption and Social media, it gets amplified. If social media does anything, it magnifies bad actions and  shames people for lacking empathy.

It is a far better PR look if he comes out and says he made a mistake and pay him a decent sum. if not he will be fielding question about what he pays his caddie for some time. 

Edited February 15, 2019 by Elmer