Meet Sam Pinfold: Cameron Smith’s Caddie

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Cameron Smith (right) and his caddie Sam Pinfold (left)
Cameron Smith (right) and his caddie Sam Pinfold (left)
Photo Credit: Getty Images / @cameronsmithgolf

Cameron Smith is a Australian professional golfer that is known for his craftiness around the green. He’s able to keep himself in the conversation  because he is excellent at getting up and down from just about anywhere. One of his most impressive skills is his ability to make putts that matter. Making timely putts in crucial situations seems to be something that comes easy for Smith. His ability to read greens well is one of the major reasons he’s been able to keep himself in contention on the weekends. There are some situations, however, where Cameron Smith will need assistance with either reading the green or making the right call on a shot top play to eliminate unnecessary risks. In these situations, Cameron Smith will call on his caddie for his expert advice. Let’s take some time to get to know who Cameron Smith’s caddie is.

Who is Cameron Smith’s caddie?

Cameron Smith’s caddie is Sam Pinfold. Sam, like most caddies on tour, has a very strong background in golf. Scott was born and raised in Wellington, New Zealand. He grew up playing most of his competitive golf at Manor Park. Though Pinfold was good, he wasn’t as confident that he had a future competing at the highest level of golf so he shifted his focus and that led him to caddying. Sam Pinfold has caddied for the likes of Ryo Ishikawa, when he was top 50 in the world golf rankings and Brad Iles, while on the Nationwide tour. Because of his work ethics, Pinfold was highly regarded among the caddies on tour and became very good friends with many.

When did Sam Pinfold become Cameron Smith’s caddie?

Sam Pinfold first caddied for Cameron Smith in the New Zealand Open. Pinfold’s original player had missed the cut so Cameron asked him to caddie for him over the weekend. The two seemed to have great chemistry immediately, as Smith ended up finishing T10 in the Tournament. The win wasn’t enough to secure a permanent position for Pinfold so the two agreed to keep in touch. In a surprise turn of events, Cameron Smith reached out to Sam Pinfold in July 2015 to discuss a partnership. The two continue their partnership to this day.

How much does Sam Pinfold, Cameron Smith’s caddie, make a year?

We know very well about the nuances of caddie rates due its performance based nature so we won’t try to guess what weekly salary looks like. Instead, to determining how much Sam Pinfold earned as a caddie in the 2021-2022 season, we’ll use the formula most tour players use for paying their caddies: 5% of earnings if the player places outside the top 10, 7% if the player finishes within the top 10, and 10% if the player finishes in 1st place. Based on this information, we estimate that Sam Pinfold may have made close to $640,167 while caddying for Cameron Smith in the 2021-2022 season on the PGA Tour.

Here's the breakdown of how much money Sam Pinfold made in 2022 caddying for Cameron Smith

Tournament

Finish

Cameron Smith's Earnings

% of Earnings

Sam Pinfold's Earnings

THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT

9

$243,750

7%

$17,063

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open

15

$125,625

5%

$6,281

The RSM Classic

4

$288,000

7%

$20,160

Sentry Tournament of Champions

1

$1,476,000

10%

$147,600

The Genesis Invitational

33

$64,000

5%

$3,200

THE PLAYERS Championship

1

$3,600,000

10%

$360,000

Masters Tournament

3

$870,000

7%

$60,900

Zurich Classic of New Orleans

21

$24,111

5%

$1,206

PGA Championship

13

$253,750

5%

$12,688

The Memorial Tournament

13

$221,400

5%

$11,070

Grand Total

9

$7,166,636

7%

$640,167

Hi everyone! I'm the Caddie Daddie. This is a name that was thrown around to our most senior caddies at my golf course. It translates to something close to "the father of all the caddies." This blog serves to inform anyone who is thinking about becoming a caddie or golfer. We'll discuss the pros and cons, common misconceptions, and even the rules of the game. I hope this blog will be a great help to anyone that wants to learn the game of golf, the same way becoming a caddie has helped me both on and off the course.

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