Meet J.J. Jakovac: Collin Morikawa’s Caddie
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| Collin Morikawa (right) and his caddie J.J. Jakovac (left) at the Tour Championship Credit: @collin_morikawa (Instagram) |
Collin Morikawa is a professional golfer on the PGA tour that burst on the scene with an impressive rookie campaign. In his first year on the PGA tour, he amassed 3 top ten finishes, 1 second place finish and a win at the Barracuda Championship. That record was good enough to earn him $1.8 million in his first season. He followed that up with 7 top tens and 2 wins in his second season, one of which was the PGA championship. This impressive resume catapulted him into the top 10 on the World Golf Rankings. So far, he’s racked up 5 wins in 3 years, with two of those wins being majors. Morikawa is certainly on a trajectory that could lead him to the Hall of Fame and that’s largely due to his raw talent and skills around the green. His accomplishments are no doubt a result of his hard word and dedication but we like to recognize the person there with him advising on every single shot. Let’s get to know Collin Morikawa’s caddie.
Who is Collin Morikawa’s caddie?
Collin Morikawa’s Caddie is J.J. Jakovac. Jakovac, like most of the caddies on tour, has some very deep roots in golf. He’s even played some college golf at Chico State University, where he was able to come away with 2 Division II titles. In fact, he’s regarded as the best golfer to ever play Division II golf, in this new millennium. Jakovac is known for spending 2-3 hours on a new course before pairing up with Morikawa for a practice round. This approach helps the two develop a strong level of trust on the course, without which the pair is unlikely to do very well in the long term.
When did J.J. Jakovac begin caddying for Collin Morikawa?
J.J. Jakovac began caddying for Collin Morikawa late in 2019, when Morikawa just turned pro. The story is that Jakovac was looking for a new partnership after his son Benji was born and simply reached out to Morikawa’s Agent. Jakovac was then on the bag for Morikawa’s U.S. Open qualifying round. Morikawa went on to not only qualify but finished tied 13th.The rest is history, as we know it. The two have been together since then and have won 5 victories in their first 3 years together.
How much does J.J. Jakovac, Collin Morikawa’s Caddie Make a year?
It’s incredibly difficult to say how much J.J. Jakovac makes each year because it can be vastly different, from one year to the next, depending on Morikawa’s performance. With that in mind, we’ll determine how much J.J. Jakovac made while caddying for Collin Morikawa in the 2021-2022 season by using the earnings model used to pay many of the caddies on tour. The caddie makes 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. Using this model, we can estimate that J.J. Jakovac made $288,016 in 2022 on the PGA Tour.
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