Swedish Solheim Cup star, Madelene Sagstrom has been playing on the LPGA Tour since 2016 and the Ladies European Tour since 2017. In 2018, Sagstrom met the man she is now married to, Jack Clarke.
The pair were first introduced while Sagstrom was competing and Clarke was caddying for her compatriot Anna Nordqvist at the 2018 UL International Crown. Not long after, Sagstrom and Clarke began dating.
Over the subsequent years, their relationship went from strength to strength and Clarke ended up proposing on Sagstrom's 30th birthday - November 13, 2022.
A couple of years before they became engaged, Clarke's father Alan caddied for Sagstrom at the 2020 Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio as the Swede's regular looper at the time - David Buhai, husband of South African LPGA Tour star, Ashleigh - was away on holiday and Clarke was working for Caroline Hedwall.
However, as it turned out, having her soon-to-be father-in-law on the bag worked well as Sagstrom claimed her first LPGA Tour title by a stroke.
Clarke and Sagstrom got married in the UK during the early part of September 2024, with Sagstrom withdrawing from the FM Championship late on due to the tournament being delayed and being unable to miss their flight back over the Atlantic ocean.
While Clarke is now a professional caddie for Anna Nordqvist, he did harbor aspirations of becoming a pro golfer himself during his teenage years.
The man from Essex in England began playing golf recreationally at the age of five and did not begin taking it seriously until he was around 12 or 13. Going on to turn pro at the age of 18, Clarke later won a Faldo Series event and gained some advice from Sir Nick Faldo himself - "hard work always prevails."
Despite taking the wise words on, Clarke succumbed to injuries and was forced to give up his dream of playing in a Ryder Cup aged 27. Instead of leaving the game altogether, Clarke moved into caddying and initially worked with Sagstrom as well as having stints with Hedwall, Sophia Popov, and Nordqvist.
Speaking to the Professional Ladies Tour Caddie Association about why being a caddie is so enjoyable to him, Clarke said: "What I love about caddying is the fact that I'm still very much involved with the competitive side of the game, and just having a great time on the fairways with other golf lovers."
Before his current job alongside Nordqvist, Clarke spent the first six months of Ludvig Aberg's pro career as his looper, with the pair collecting two pro victories and a Ryder Cup success during that time.
However, at the end of 2023, Aberg told Clarke he would be moving on without him in order to employ a caddie with more experience at Major championships.
Speaking to Bunkered about Aberg's decision to go in a different direction, Clarke admitted that he was shocked and disappointed but understood the Swede's rationale.
Clarke said: “He just turned around to me the week before last and said he was going to let me go, purely based on wanting more experience on the bag. When he said the experience in majors, I can’t say too much about it because I don’t have that.
“Before the conversation, I didn’t see it coming because of the results we had together, but I totally respect his decision.
"I was shocked and disappointed by the decision, but at the end of the day it’s his decision to hopefully become what he wants to become."
Following a brief break from caddying, Clarke joined up with Nordqvist once again in 2024 and is hoping to partner another Swede to further success.
