Caddie Mike “Fluff” Cowan and Jim Furyk have parted ways amicably after 25 years of working together.
Cowan, who was on the bag for Tiger Woods in the late 1990s, is returning to the PGA Tour.
Cowan is working with Taiwanese pro C.T. Pan at this week’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson in McKinney, Texas.
“It’s hard to part ways after 25 years,” Cowan said, per USA Today’s Golfweek. “Sometimes the right thing to do is staring you right in the face and you’ve got to have the guts to do it.”
Furyk and Cowan have worked together since the 1999 Masters.
The timing of the move for Cowan is based on simple economics, as Furyk has been sidelined with injuries over the past two years. His best finish in three starts on the Champions Tour this season is a T33 at the Hoag Classic in March.
“We play for $2 million. They play for $8, $20, $25 million,” Furyk wrote in a text to Golfweek. “I knew it was a good opportunity for him, and C.T. has been playing pretty good. (Fluff) was hesitant. Because he’s a great person at heart. But I pushed and we both knew it was best for him and his family.”
Pan, 32, has earned $674,187 so far this season, compared to $19,464 for Furyk.
Furyk’s son, Tanner, is scheduled to caddie for the 2003 U.S. Open champion at three to four events this summer.
Cowan has previously caddied for Ed Sabo (1976-78), Peter Jacobsen (1978-96) and Woods (1996-99) in addition to Furyk.