“She’s a professional clapper out on the courses,” Webb Simpson once said. ‘She’ was his wife for 14 years, Taylor Dowd Simpson. They met in college: Simpson, a charming guy from Raleigh, and Dowd, an aspiring actor from Charlotte. Golf and theater don’t often mix—the demand for travel in both professions is quite huge—but they made it work.

Simpson called her a professional clapper, but Dowd does more than that. On elevated greens, she gives a heads-up to her husband on where the ball landed. She also packs a peanut butter sandwich for her husband. Their relationship started quite strangely, and Simpson’s father had a great role to play.

Webb Simpson and Dowd met through a common friend

Dowd was a sophomore student of theater at Wake Forest when Webb Simpson enrolled on a golf scholarship. Her best friend, Maggie Simons, introduced her best friend to her Raleigh buddy. Interestingly, before Simpson approached her, it was his father who asked Dowd to take his son out, joking that he would pay $100 if she agreed.

Dowd was at a party in Raleigh for her friend, Maggie. Faced with the strange proposal, Dowd quipped, “If he’s half as cute as you, I’ll do it for free,” Dowd replied. They didn’t meet until a few months later.

From chatting in dorms to dinner dates, it took only a few months for them to get together. Simpson’s father kept his word, coughing up $100 that the young couple used for a dinner date.

They used to meet at weekends. On other days, Simpson was busy with his course and afternoon golf practice. Whereas, Dowd was serious about pursuing an acting career. But they had to part ways after college as careers separated them. Dowd left for Atlanta and then for Los Angeles, pursuing her dream. Simpson stayed back for golf.

How they reconnected and got married 

That separation didn’t last long. When Dowd returned, it kindled the fondness. She later recalled that Simpson was still the goofy guy she dated in college. Another point of convergence was religion.

Webb Simpson, a practicing Christian, was fascinated by other religions and the study of theology as well. Dowd was a student of the famed Dr. Charles Kimball, who was then Professor of Religion at Wake Forest.

So, this time, there were no hiccups. They tied the knot in 2010 in the presence of family and mutual friends. Webb Simpson has five children with Dowd:  Mercy, James, Willow, Wyndham, and Eden Bee.

Wyndham is named after the PGA Tour’s regular stop at the Sedgefield Country Club, the Wyndham Championship. Simpson used to live near the course, and his first victory on the Tour came at the very same venue in 2011.

Dowd has often accompanied her husband on the greens. During his 2012 U.S. Open triumph, Dowd was in her third trimester. Yet she made the trip to the Olympic Club, dubbing it as their ‘Baby Moon.’ In fact, she will also loop for Simpson in a recent PGA Tour event.

Dowd is slated to caddie for Webb Simpson

The former champion will return to the Sedgefield Country Club on August 8, 2024. The 2025 Ryder Cup vice-captain earned his maiden PGA Tour victory here. Now his wife will make her caddie debut at the same venue.

She has carried the bag before, but that was for the practice rounds at Augusta this year. “She did great in school except for math,” the former major winner joked. Except that it was true.

Dowd added, “I don’t know how to do addition, subtraction. I don’t even know what a yard is, so not gonna happen. I’m so bad with numbers. I’m terrible at math.” So, it’s the other way around. Dowd relies on her husband to lift himself up, hoping that he doesn’t make any mistakes.

She has only three words of advice for her husband: “You stay still, you keep quiet, don’t step in anyone’s line, and never pick up the ball.” Dowd has been reciting this all week, among other things a caddie needs to do.

Simpson and long-time caddie Paul Tesori, who currently loops for Tom Kim,  parted ways last year. At this year’s RBC Heritage, David Cooke was on the bag for the veteran. His FedEx Cup rank has dropped to 147th thanks to only one top-ten this season.

It might seem like the wrong week to pick a debutant on the greens. But Simpson is pretty relaxed because the Wyndham Championship is more than just a need for victory.

More than a decade later, a return to Sedgefield Country Club opens the floodgates of memory for the 38-year-old. Greensboro was a special place for the seven-time PGA Tour winner. It will become even more special after the 2024 Wyndham Championship, thanks to his wife.