Caddies Lining Up Players To Be Banned

This week marks the final time players will be lined up by their caddies on the LPGA Tour

Caddies Lining Up Players To Be Banned
(Image credit: Getty Images)

This week marks the final time players will be lined up by their caddies on the LPGA Tour

Caddies Lining Up Players To Be Banned

A bugbear of golf fans is when they turn on the TV and see players on Tour being lined up by their caddies.

It takes a few extra seconds and can be construed as coaching, and is mainly seen in the women's game.

It's also something so far away from the game amateurs play where they certainly don't have someone standing behind them telling them where they're aiming.

WATCH: What its like to play with a European Tour caddie

From 2019, though, we won't be seeing players getting lined up by their caddies due to a new rule forbidding it.

This week's CME Group Tour Championship, the season finale on the LPGA Tour, will mark the final time players can be lined up by their caddies because their next event takes place in 2019.

One of the players who still gets lined up by her caddie is Brittany Lincicome, who says her and her caddie will continue doing it this week for the final time.

“We are definitely going to play with her lining me up and then figure it out next year,” Brittany Lincicome said ahead of the week.

Brittany Lincicome is one LPGA Tour player who gets lined up by her caddie. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

“It’s really more like a trigger,” her caddie Missy Pederson said.

“It’s something she will just have to re-establish for next year. I don’t foresee it being a problem. She plays off weeks and in the off season without me lining her up, and she’s fine.”

Former world number one and 15-time LPGA Tour winner Lydia Ko has been lined up by her caddie since before turning pro but doesn't see it being banned as an issue.

Related: New Golf Rules 2019 - All you need to know

“It’s more a confidence thing,” Ko said.

“I think 99.9 percent of the time, I am aligned where I want to be, but just knowing for sure gives you confidence to go up and rip it. Confidence is such a huge key in golf.

“With the new rule, I don’t think it’s going to be like, ‘Oh my God, what am I doing?’ It’s going to be fine.”

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Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV