Justin Thomas still with temporary caddie at Waste Management Phoenix Open

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Reigning FedExCup champion Justin Thomas is still without his regular caddie at this week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. Thomas will go with his coach Matt Killen on the bag while Jimmy Johnson continues to rest at home. The veteran caddie had a right foot injury and was forced out of action midway through the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua earlier this month. Thomas went the rest of the way with his dad, Mike, on the bag. Jim (Bones) Mackay, who caddied for Phil Mickelson before the two went separate ways last summer, took Thomas’ bag at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Thomas is coming back from a two-week break at the Waste Management.  “He’s doing better,� he said of Johnson, who began suffering the effects of plantar fasciitis at the CIMB Classic in October. “I talked to him yesterday. He said he probably could have gone this week, but he didn’t have an option. I told him he wasn’t allowed to caddie this week, just because I want him back to 100 percent starting whenever he starts. “I told him whether it’s L.A., or if it’s Match Play, or Masters, whatever it is, I just, I don’t want him coming back too soon and then having to take another month off. I think he has his boot off, he had a cortisone shot, so he said that was really fun, and he’s just going through therapy every day. He’s just kind of doing exercises and stretches for it. It sounds like he’s going to be good to go for [the Genesis Open in] L.A., so [it will] be good to have the man back.� Thomas and Killen have known each other since they were boys, and Killen caddied for Thomas when he tied for fifth at the 2015 John Deere Classic. Given all that, and given the fact that Jason Day won the Farmers Insurance Open with boyhood friend Rika Batibasaga on the bag on Monday, could having a new caddie on the bag wind up being a refreshing change? “I’ll let you know at the end of the week,� Thomas said, setting off laughter in the interview room. Although Mackay is a seasoned pro, Thomas added, it took some time for them to get used to working together. That’s to be expected, he said, when changing dance partners on the PGA TOUR. As for Killen, Thomas added, he’s not especially worried. “He’s know me since I was about 8 years old,� Thomas said, “and kind of watched me growing up and playing a lot of golf, so he knows my game pretty well.�   

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