Matt Wallace had his breakout season in 2018 after recording three wins on the European Tour: the Hero Indian Open, the BMW International Open, and Made in Denmark. After this feat, Wallace entered the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time. Born on April 12, 1990, Wallace had the sports genes, coming from an athletic family.

His parents were PE teachers. However, golf was not the sport he was serious about till he turned 18. The 34-year-old was good at sports including high-level cricket, football, and rugby. Wallace went to the same school as his fellow English golfer, Danny Willett. His journey on the greens has been phenomenal, and as we all know, caddies play an integral role in it. Wallace has a new man on his bag who is known for ‘unconventional’ ways of helping golfers while playing.

Who is Matt Wallace’s caddie, and who has he been a bagman for?

Jamie Lane is Matt Wallace’s caddy. Lane commenced his caddying journey in the late 2000s. He replaced the French Samuel “Sam” Bernard last year to caddy for Matt Wallace. Apart from being good friends with golfer Danny Willett, he has worked with the likes of Matthew Fitzpatrick and Bernd Wiesberger. Lane caddied Fitzpatrick to record multiple European Tour victories, including two Rolex Series events.

Lane has the qualities that any seasoned caddie should have; after all, he has been doing this for years. A few instances that have happened inside the ropes are proof of how Jamie Lane likes to help his employers.

Jamie Lane is the kind of caddie that golfers want to have with them on the greens.

Back in January 2017, Lane caddied for Fitzpatrick. During the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi Championship, the 30-year-old shot 69 and trailed the first-round leader Henrik Stenson by just five. During this, Fitzpatrick was astonished as he lipped out from 199 yards on the seventh hole. Lane was quick to react to ensure that the English golfer let some sunshine in and cheered him up.

After he lipped out for an ace, Lane said, “No car, you didn’t want it to go in anyway,” reminding the golfer that he would not receive a car for a hole-in-one. Fitzpatrick realized the funny side of this and said, “Good point.” During the Mexico Open in February 2024, Lane helped Wallace reach 11 under as he went 66-65 and held onto a share of the 36-hole lead. Being the mastermind he is, Lane came up with a strategic play and asked Wallace to play on himself.

The English golfer pretended that he was four over par before the tournament even began. “So we kind of came up with a system of like starting over par so we’ve already played one round, right?” said Wallace. “To make the cut, you’ve got to get yourself into it. So yesterday was four over, and we managed to shoot one under, which is five under, and today it was three over.”

This forced Wallace’s brain into thinking that he needed to fight back to make it to the weekend. These kinds of tales aptly display the caliber of Jamie Lane. He helped bring a sturdy presence to Wallace’s game.

Jamie Lane currently caddies for Matt Wallace, but who was there for Wallace before Lane, and why did he feel the need for a change?

What was the infamous incident with Wallace’s previous caddie?

Before Jamie Lane, Wallace’s caddy was the French Samuel Bernard. The timeline as to when they got together is not sure, but they did have a successful partnership. When Bernard was his caddy, Wallace won the 2023 Corales Puntacana Championship, making him the only French caddie to win on the PGA Tour.

However, the times were not always happy. At the 2023 Valspar Championship, the duo had a fight when Wallace was getting set to take a shot. Wallace had his focus and mindset, but Bernard jumped in at the 11th hour and tried to change his tactics as he was getting ready to play the 17th hole. What happened next? Wallace’s swing was rusted, and he shot the ball 30 yards short of the green.

Wallace was not amused by the caddie’s late interference and was fuming as he walked towards him and cussed at him, “Shut the f**k up!” However, the situation calmed down after he made a par putt at the par-4 18th.

The relationship between golfers and their caddies is quite complicated. This is why golfers choose them very carefully, as they can help enhance their performances. Matt Wallace’s and Jamie Lane’s partnership seems to be fruitful for the Englishman. How big a part do you think a caddie plays in the golfer’s career?