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Phil Mickelson's caddie leaves LIV Golf to link up with PGA Tour star
Mickelson's caddie found himself a new job

Phil Mickelson’s caddie has found himself a new job with Ben Griffin.

Ahead of this week’s VidantaWorld Mexico Open, Jon Yarbrough has returned to the PGA Tour. The six-time major winner did not play in any of the four majors in 2026, marking the first time he missed them all in a single calendar year since 1990. The first and last LIV Golf event he played this year was in South Africa, and the 56-year-old took a pause from the game due to personal matters.

Mickelson’s former looper Yarbrough has not taken a break, however, and has teamed up with three-time tour winner Ben Griffin ahead of the $6 million fall series event in Mexico.

After ending his partnership with previous caddie Alex Ritthamel, Griffin, who represented Team USA in their defeat at Bethpage Black last year during his Ryder Cup debut, has made a change.

Yarbrough is a seasoned bagman who previously spent several years caddying for PGA Tour veteran Scott Stallings. He took over carrying for Mickelson prior to the 2024 Masters, stepping into the role after Mickelson's brother Tim left.

Over the course of his career, Yarbrough has worked alongside players such as Gary Woodland, Bill Haas, Smylie Kaufman, Suzann Pettersen, Morgan Pressel, and Laura Diaz. He was also on the bag for Jim Furyk during his historic round of 59 at the BMW Championship.

Ben Griffin paired with caddie Jon Yarbrough in Mexico
Ben Griffin paired with caddie Jon Yarbrough in Mexico -Credit:Getty Images

After partnering with Stallings, Yarbrough joined Mickelson for LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral. At the time of the announcement, Mickelson spoke highly of his new caddie's skill set.

“He’s the best green reader I’ve ever seen,” Mickelson said, adding, “I’m so excited to work with him and I’ve already learnt a lot.”

Mickelson and Yarbrough did not secure any tournament victories during their time together.

This partnership comes as Griffin seeks to refine his game. Despite claiming three tournament victories in 2025, his putting performance has regressed, with his Strokes Gained: Putting average declining from 0.432 in July down to 0.206.

“I'm really good at judging rough in the southeast and really good at reading greens over here,” said Griffin at the Travelers Championship.

“And it's harder over there. That's how it is for some guys. I'll figure it out one of these years I'm sure.”

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