One of the longest and most successful player-caddie relationships on the PGA Tour has officially come to an end. Even more surprising is which bag that caddie will have next.
Webb Simpson announced on Monday that he and longtime looper Paul Tesori are parting ways. And if that wasn’t surprising enough, the seven-time PGA Tour winner also revealed Tesori will be working for Cameron Young, a fellow Wake Forest product.
“I am happy for the great opportunity Paul has in going to work with my fellow WF Demon Deacon and friend, Cameron Young,” Simpson said in a statement.
Tesori was on the bag for all seven of Simpson’s PGA Tour titles, including the 2012 U.S. Open and the 2018 Players Championship.
Simpson, 37, is 12 years older than Young so they didn’t overlap at Wake Forest. What makes the timing even more interesting is that Simpson played in Sunday’s penultimate pairing at the Valspar Championship, shooting a final-round to finish T-7, his first top 10 in 16 months.
“After over twelve years of working together, Paul Tesori and I have made the hard decision to change directions,” Simpson’s statement, which he tweeted, starts. Read the full statement below:
Young, 25, is still searching for his maiden PGA Tour title. But the tour’s reigning Rookie of the Year is coming off a season in which he had five second-place finishes, including at the Open Championship. Young is currently No. 17 in the Official World Golf Ranking, while Simpson is 133rd.
Tesori is expected to be on Young’s bag at this week’s WGC-Dell Match Play, where he’ll start in a round-robin group with Sepp Straka, Corey Conners and Davis Thompson. Simpson didn’t qualify for the event.