Tiger Woods' Caddie Believes He Will Return to Golf, and Win

Tiger Woods has been on a break since the Wyndham Championship almost six months ago. In the time that he’s been away from golf, Woods has had two back surgeries and has stated he has no timetable for if or when he will return to golf. That leaves his current caddie, Joe LaCava’s career kind of up in the air.

ESPN’s Bob Harig interviewed LaCava about his, and Tiger’s current situations. LaCava said he’s been playing a lot of golf, spending time with his kids, and turning down offers from other golfers for temporary work. He also explained that he does believe that Tiger will be back, but that he doesn’t want to push him towards returning before he is ready.

"“When we went to the Giants game, it was guys having a good time. He knows how big a fan I am of the Giants, so he teases me, gives me a hard time. At that point I know he’s a ways from coming back, and I’m not going to press the issue. I want him to take this time. But this was a buddies trip, and in hanging out with buddies, I sense he’s very positive about the future.”"

LaCava also explained that he’s been approached by other golfers with offers for him to temporarily caddie for them. Considering LaCava has been with Tiger since 2011, he’s likely made quite a bit of money, but as Bob Harig points out, Tiger isn’t playing golf right now and for some guys that stream of income is a concern.

"“A couple of guys approached me, I don’t want to name any names, but I [politely] said no,” LaCava said of those part-time or temporary offers. “My plan is to wait for Tiger to get back. I’ve told them I just want to work for Tiger and nobody else at this point. They were all nice about it. They didn’t know what my situation was. I’ve elected to wait things out with Tiger and that is my plan going forward.”"

That’s a pretty confident view from a guy that’s spent a lot of time looping for Woods. Of course each caddie and pro have a different agreement and LaCava may be collecting a check from Tiger while he’s recovering. We know that Tiger is picky about who he allows in his circle, or he has been in the past, so who’s to say that he isn’t keeping LaCava happy.

LaCava doesn’t stop there though, he goes on to reiterate that he is very confident Woods will return.

"“I know what he’s capable of,” LaCava said. “I saw it these years I worked for him. We all know he has the ability. He certainly hasn’t lost any of his work ethic. Does the back issue worry people? I lived it with Fred [Couples]. When you have a back issue it’s tough, in all sports, specifically golf. “I still have faith he’s going to continue to do well and win. My thought is he will overcome the injury or whatever you want to call it. He might not be able to play as often as he would like. Once he’s healed from this, he’ll come back and play again and play well. My outlook is basically the same as when I started with him. He’s Tiger Woods.”"

Is or was, that is the question.