Who Is Jon Rahm’s Caddie?
Jon Rahm and Adam Hayes got together in September 2016 at Silverado Country Club. Back then the Spaniard was 126th in the world, now he is a major winner, a two-time Ryder Cup player and a former World No. 1.
They got their first win the following year at the Farmers at Torrey Pines – remember that putt on 18? – and they got to the No. 1 spot in 2020.
Hayes' background is studying at the University of Central Florida before moving into the caddying game via the LPGA Tour and he has since been on some great bags including Webb Simpson, Jason Dufner, Russell Henley, Vaughan Taylor and Ben Crane. One particular stand-out highlight came with Jonathan Byrd when Byrd made a hole-in-one on the fourth play-off hole to win the 2010 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
But it is with Rahm, who is not known for his on-course easy-going manner, where he has enjoyed some incredible success.
"I think the most important thing to understand with (Adam) is he wants to win as much as I want to win, and that’s the beauty of it.” Rahm said. “Adam is amazing. I think what’s made it work so well early on, the best way I can say it is we’re both no-BS guys.
"If you have something to tell me, tell me to my face, and it’s reciprocal. So he will tell me if he has something to tell me, and I will tell him if I have something to tell him. Besides the obvious chemistry and friendship that we have, I think the honesty and willingness to work is what makes it work so well and why we’ve made such a good team."
For Hayes he loves Rahm's on-course spirit.
“The best caddies are guys that just are almost like chameleons. They can read people’s personalities and learn their tendencies, and they don’t try and change people, and I’ve never tried changing Jon or anybody that I’ve ever worked for. Jon is who Jon is.
"He’s a very competitive guy on the course and a lot of people take that the wrong way when he gets mad, but that’s just something that he’s had to figure out on his own, and I’ve never judged him for it and I never will. So I think that I’ve never tried to coddle or pamper the guys I’ve worked for but you hold guys accountable.”
How Much Does Jon Rahm's Caddie Make?
Hayes was recorded as the eighth highest-earning caddie according to Forbes by the end of 2017 receiving a reported $520,000, a year in which Rahm won once on the PGA Tour. That figure doesn't likely include the DP World Tour where Rahm also won and twice including the Tour Championship.
Rahm topped the money list in 2021 with earnings of £7.7m so a nice percentage of that will all add up – the US Open victory alone was good for $2.25m so 10 per cent means Hayes will have collected around $220,000 for his week's work at Torrey Pines.
For more content on the Spaniard, take a look at Rahm's what's in the bag page, or who his wife Kelley Cahill is.
