Six-time Major winner Phil Mickelson had been keeping caddying duties in the family since splitting with Jim "Bones" Mackay in 2017, with brother Tim on the bag during a period that included victory at the 2021 PGA Championship.
However, in March 2024, Mickelson released a statement announcing that Tim had retired from caddying, indicating that he'd chosen to concentrate on his family commitments following the birth of his second son.
That left Mickelson only a few weeks to find a new caddie before attempting to claim a fourth Masters title, and it wasn't long until he revealed Jon Yarbrough would take on the role.
After the appointment, Mickelson said on social media: "I'm so excited to work with him and I've already learnt a lot," while he also described Yarbrough as "the best green reader I've ever seen."
Yarbrough, whose first tournament with Mickelson resulted in a finish of 47th at LIV Golf Miami, is a veteran of almost 25 years and had been Scott Stallings' caddie for the last decade. However, the working relationship brought only limited success, with victory at the 2014 Farmers Insurance Open one of the highlights.
Despite some lean times, Stallings had praise for Yarbrough on Instagram after the two parted ways, writing: "Here’s to a great 10 years @jylooper. You made me a better player inside the ropes and a better man outside of them. Thank you for everything."
Yarbrough parted ways with Stallings after the Worcester, Massachusetts-born golfer missed five cuts in eight at the start of 2024, but he certainly brings huge experience to Mickelson.
As well his long caddying career he has worked with plenty of PGA Tour pros, including Gary Woodland, John Mallinger, Bill Haas and Smylie Kaufman, while he has also spent time on the bag for LPGA Tour players Suzann Pettersen, Morgan Pressel and Kelly Robbins.
In one way it's also apt that Yarbrough's first Major as caddy for Mickelson is The Masters, as the Augusta National tournament takes place in his home state of Georgia, although he attended high school in Texas before going on to play college golf for the University of North Texas. In a Q&A for The Caddie Network, Yarbrough also cited Augusta National, as his favorite course to caddie.
