Scottie Scheffler has had a prolific time with Ted Scott as his caddie. The pairing has won two Masters, two Players Championships, and two Arnold Palmer Invitationals, while also counting an Olympic gold medal in their successes. But this partnership almost didn’t happen as  Scott had doubts over caddying for Scheffler due to his fiery nature. Eventually, a phone call and a promise from Scheffler convinced Scott, and their bond grew from there. While they have found success on the golf course, their “bromance” has also been going strong for over three years now. But let’s put that in perspective. Three years is nothing compared to the 15 years Scott spent with Bubba Watson.

Watson won 10 PGA Tour events and two Masters with Scott by his side, as they became one of the most successful duos on the greens. Their partnership endured until they went their separate ways in 2021, but it was not without its ups and downs. There were some infamous public on course tiffs, such as the one at the 2013 Travelers Championship, which put a spotlight on the pair, but this was not why caddying for Watson was an entirely different beat for Scott.

Why caddying for Bubba Watson was a challenge in itself

Chad Mumm, host of the Vanity Index Podcast, shared a fascinating insight into why Scott’s time with Watson was so challenging. And no, it wasn’t just because of Watson’s well-known emotional outbursts. “I got to spend a lot of time with him (Ted Scott) and I asked him like, what was the difference between caddying for Bubba and caddying for Scottie? He was like ‘Bubba was almost impossible to caddie for’, but not for the reason you think. You know, Bubba’s kind of famous as you know, he’d get mad at like mud ball. He played with a lot of emotion, for sure, opposite of Scottie in that respect. But what Ted meant was just from a pure, like, giving of numbers,” Mumm said on Sunday.

Watson wasn’t the kind of player who relied on textbook club selection. He played purely on instinct and what he felt would be best. In that respect, he was the most unique and unorthodox golfer. With an unconventional swing and an uncanny knack for shaping shots that defy logic, Bubba Watson stood out. While most modern golfers rely on cutting-edge technology to fine-tune every aspect of their play, including how and which club they would use in a particular situation, Watson would trust his instincts. He would launch the ball into spots no one else would dare attempt.

Mumm added, “I think he(Ted) said Bubba could hit 170 yards, he could hit like eight different clubs that distance. He’d like cut a four iron. He’d hook a sand wedge. Like, every yardage was how he saw the ball landing on the green. And so caddying for him was just about giving him the number, but really, like, he couldn’t recommend a club. Because he could knock down a three-wood and hit it 120 yards. And the guy was just like a magician, it was all feel for him.” The way Watson approached the game made it difficult for Scott to predict and suggest what the preferred club should be. At the 2013 Travelers Championship, we saw how things unraveled.

Watson had the lead heading into the 16th and had his second Travelers Championship victory in sight. But then he knocked his tee shot in the water on the 16th hole and carded a triple-bogey. Scott, who was standing beside him, had to bear the brunt for apparently handing him the wrong club.

After seeing his shot on the 178-yard par-3 roll into the water, Watson berated his caddie, saying, “Water. It’s in the water. That club.” Then, when he flew the green on his next shot, he once again blamed Scott. “So you’re telling me that’s the right yardage?” he was heard saying. Next year, at the PGA Championship, while Watson didn’t directly blame Scott, he was visibly frustrated with him and appeared to question club selections and was seen shaking his head in disagreement with his caddie. It was indeed a learning curve for Scott, one that he eventually got used to.

“Ted said he would work it both ways. And so it just depended on what side of the green a flag was in and I think he said he didn’t like pins in the middle because he could like work it in. It’s just the way he saw the game and Ted said it made it really hard to caddy for him. He had to learn the language of how you give him the number and how you do the strategy,” Mumm said.

Watson and Scott were introduced by Ben Crane. Seeking a like-minded Christian, Watson turned to Crane, a fellow member of his Bible study group, who recommended Scott. Though Scott had briefly pursued a career in professional golf without success, he achieved world champion status in professional foosball.

Watson and Scott kicked off their partnership at the 2007 Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, where Watson secured a tie for 12th place. The momentum carried into the following week at the Canadian Open, where he landed T-14. As for Scott, his job was simple: carry the clubs, call out yardages, and let Watson do the rest. After a brief time working with Watson, Scott realized the area where he could best assist the golfer, keeping his focus.

“The part I help him with is getting him focused…When there’s nobody around, he’s just thinking about the shot. An artist on a canvas painting, and he can do anything he wants. [But] he sees someone eating a bag of chips on the way to the green, he’s saying to me, ‘Hey, is that Doritos or is that Cheetos?’ All of a sudden, the brain goes and you steer him back,” Scott mentioned in 2019.

Scott was there for almost all of Watson’s PGA TOUR career, helping him secure 12 wins, including two Masters titles. But after navigating Watson’s unpredictable genius for 15 years, they parted ways in 2021.  Watson took to Twitter to announce the split, making it clear that there were no hard feelings. “After 15 incredible years together, @jtedscott and I have decided to end our on-course partnership. Don’t worry! We’re still friends.”

Their bond saw both of them grow on and off the course and it is a relationship that remains strong, despite the occasional hiccup.

How was Bubba Watson’s relationship with Ted Scott?

Ted Scott’s time with Bubba Watson wasn’t just about golf—it was about figuring out how to work with one of the most unpredictable players on tour. Watson wasn’t the easiest golfer to caddie for, and Scott has admitted that the job required more than just handing him a club. But their bond wasn’t just professional. They shared a strong Christian faith, which kept them connected beyond the game.

But in 2021, they decided that they needed to go down their separate paths and Watson later explained that the decision came after some deep conversations about both golf and life. “When we met, I don’t think we ever imagined how much we would experience together,” he continued. “Teddy deserves more credit than anyone can imagine for our success on the golf course, but I am just as grateful for his friendship and the way he has helped me grow as a person.”

Scott once said that working with Watson helped him grow just as much as it helped Bubba, and Watson, in turn, always credited Scott for being a steady presence in his life. “Ted has been a big part of my success. I appreciate the effect he has had in my golf and my life,” Watson said in a pre-tournament interview at The Memorial Tournament in 2013.

Their split in 2021 wasn’t about disagreements—it was about life moving in different directions. Watson was struggling with injuries and uncertain about his future, while Scott needed long-term stability. Watson understood that, even joking that Scott is now making more money without him. “I have no regrets, and I don’t think he does either,” Watson admitted, adding that he wanted Scott to have a secure future. Scott also said that splitting with Watson had a lot to do with his career direction.

“Bubba and I had spent so much time together. We weren’t growing together anymore. I wanted to move on and do something else,” he revealed in Netflix’s Full Swing series.

With Scheffler, Scott’s job is a lot more straightforward. Unlike Watson, who relied on creativity and instinct, Scheffler takes a more structured approach, making it easier to strategize. While Scott’s time with Watson was filled with challenges, it was also meaningful. But now, he’s in a partnership that’s a much smoother fit—and given their success so far, it looks like he made the right call.