NASSAU, Bahamas – The Hero World Challenge is one of the year’s most relaxed events and when Tony Finau found himself in the market for a replacement caddie he went looking down a unique path.
Finau’s regular caddie, Mark Urbanek, couldn’t make the trip because his wife is expecting a child so Finau turned to Ryan Smith, the owner of the Utah Jazz who worth an estimated $15 billion.
“Ryan has been a good friend of mine. I gave him a shout about six weeks ago and asked him if he would mind. He was more than happy to be here. He’s been a great friend and a great mentor,” Finau said.
Putting my guy @RyanQualtrics to work this week in the Bahamas! Let's get it!! #HeroWorldChallenge pic.twitter.com/yOjfzOS0el
— Tony Finau Golf (@tonyfinaugolf) December 1, 2021
Full-field tee times from the Hero World Challenge
Finau said he and Smith, who purchased the Jazz last October, had been talking about having him caddie for years and the limited-field, no-cut World Challenge was the perfect opportunity.
As for how Finau plans to compensate his fill-in caddie he laughed, “He’s taking an extreme pay cut, I know that. It’s a fun atmosphere and the perfect tournament to bring Ryan along.”