This is how John Ashworth caddied in the 1986 Masters
By T.J. Auclair · September 9, 2020
John Ashworth — founder of the golf lifestyle brands Ashworth, Fidra and Linksoul — will be the first to admit that his older brother should have been caddying for Mark Wiebe in the 1986 Masters… the one that a 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus won to slip into a sixth green jacket and a record 18th major championship.
But, a deal is a deal.
Ashworth caddied for Wiebe — a childhood friend — back in 1984, Wiebe’s first season on the PGA Tour and a few years before Ashworth would establish himself as an icon in the golf fashion world.
After that one season, however, Ashworth knew he didn’t want to be a career caddie and moved on. Not long after, his brother Hank became Wiebe’s bagman and they were enjoying a fine 1986 season together when the Masters came around and the younger Ashworth boxed out his big bro.
RELATED: Golf fashion icon John Ashworth got his start as a caddie
“The story was that Mark and I made a pact a long time ago – when we were kids, kids – when we were like 15 years old,” John Ashworth explained in a recent ‘Under the Strap’ podcast. “‘Hey, if you make it to the Masters, I get to caddie for you. If I make it to the Masters, you get to caddie for me.’ We always remembered it and talked about it. So, my brother was caddying for him and he was having a really good year. In hindsight, I probably should have just said, ‘Hey, f*** it. You should caddie.’ They were doing good, you know? But I pulled the card from way back and so I took the bag.”
The result? Well, Wiebe missed the cut. But it was still an unforgettable week for John Ashworth.
“That’s when Jack won,” he said. “It was amazing. The whole pomp and circumstance around the Masters… I was able to do it with Mark and he was nice enough to let me do it. We had a good time other than not playing all that amazing. But that’s a tough course the first time you go around it.”
Click on the player below to hear our whole podcast with John Ashworth:
