Kessler Karain, Patrick Reed’s Caddie: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Kessler Karain is Patrick Reed’s caddie and his brother-in-law. Karain left his job in medical sales to take on the role. Karain’s sister, Justine, who is married to Reed, used to caddie for the pro-golfer. He took on the role when Justine Reed was pregnant with the Reeds’ first child.

Karain just caddied Reed through his final round at Augusta National, where he won his first major, the 2018 Masters Tournament. Reed led the pack after three rounds, sitting 14-under with a three-stroke lead over Rory McIlroy. Heading into the final round, Reed had the chance to become the first player in the history of the tournament to post four rounds in the 60s; his score of 71 means that no golfer has yet accomplished the feat.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. He Became Reed’s Caddie in 2014 & Took Over the Gig From His Sister, Justine

Karain’s older sister is Justine, who happens to be Patrick Reed’s wife. Shortly after Reed proposed to Justine, she became his caddie, leaving her full-time job as a nurse to do so.

“If you had told me with all the work I put into my nursing degree I’d be doing this, I wouldn’t have believed you. When I told my Dad, he was like, ‘You’re doing what?’” Justine Reed previously told the Washington Post.

After tying the knot, Justine decided to retire from her career as a caddie, and Reed offered the job to her brother.

“He’s worked the majors. The Presidents Cup in Seoul. And the Rio Olympics. Karain was also in Scotland for the 2014 Ryder Cup, and he was mesmerized by the event. ‘I thought it was so awesome,’ he said, ‘and we lost. I wondered how great this thing would be if I was on the winning side,'” according to Express News.

Although he didn’t have any experience working as a caddie, Karain has learned a lot over the past several years. Reed put in a good deal of time to train him.

“We were wondering how the transition would be. I trained him like I trained Justine. I guess it just runs in the family. He was really good when it came to wind and club selection. She played a little bit in high school, and her brother played a lot in high school. I don’t know what it is. That family has it when it comes to giving me advice,” Reed told the Associated Press back in 2014.

You can watch Reed talk about his caddie in the video below.

2. He Is Among the Highest-Paid Caddies on the PGA Tour

In mid 2017, Forbes reported that Karain was among the highest-earning caddies in professional golf. The financial publication took what they know about the traditional caddie pay structure and applied it to the PGA’s top-earning players for a 12-month period.

“Caddies traditionally were paid via a 5%, 7%, 10% formula based on whether the player made the cut, finished top 10 or won the event. But today, most established players pay their caddies 8% of total winnings and 10% for a win, according to golf insiders, although the actual terms of a contract can vary. We applied this formula as a basis for caddie earnings between June 2016 and June 2017 for the top players on the Tour,” the Forbes story reads.

Karain was fifth on the list for that time period, behind Rory McIlroy’s caddie, J.P Fitzgerald, Dustin Johnson’s caddie (and brother), Austin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama’s caddie, Daisuke Shindo, and Jordan Spieth’s caddie, Michael Greller. Forbes estimated that Karain earned more than $610,000 over that span.

In addition to the money he earns caddying for his brother-in-law, Karain is also a brand ambassador for Bushnell Golf and Blenders Eyewear.

3. He Graduated From the University of Texas-San Antonio & Used to Work in Medical Sales

Karain graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2011, with bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. According to his LinkedIn account, he had a 3.65 GPA his senior year and made the Dean’s List in the Spring 2011 semester.

After graduation, Karain got a job selling medical equipment for Medtronic, a company located in San Antonio, Texas.

“Educate, promote, and sell the benefits of Insulin Pump Therapy and Continuous Glucose Monitoring systems to patients, and Registered nurses.Responsible for communicating goals for the day, week, month to entire team. Provide exceptional customer service and memorable experience to every patient, doctors office, and insurance company by building rapport and exceeding expectations,” reads a few of his job responsibilities.

Karain played golf in his spare time, and was previously referred to as a “weekend golfer” by Express News. When he received Reed’s offer to become his caddie, he accepted the job and hasn’t looked back.

4. He Is Dating Keith Gorton

Karain is dating Keith Gorton. Last year, the couple added a new addition to their family — a pup they named Gus.

“Its a boy !! New addition to our fur family !! Love at first sight,” Gorton posted on Instagram. Her social media page is filled with photos of the new pup, which looks like a Yorkshire terrier. Gorton is also a mom to Yorkies Sophie and Izzy, both of whom have made frequent appearances on her Instagram page.

It’s unknown what Gorton does for a living, but her social media bio says that she “loves animals and golf.” She has often traveled with Karain as he caddies for Reed.

5. He Is a Gun Enthusiast & Often Posts About Firearms on Social Media

Karain makes no secrets about his enthusiasm for firearms. His Instagram account includes pictures related to shooting guns, gun and ammunition purchases, and at least one image that seems to mock proponents of gun control.

Karain’s August 15, 2017 Instagram post included a picture of what appears to be at least 15 cases of ammunition from manufacturer Federal. Five cases on the left of the image appear to contain 420 rounds each of NATO 5.56 rifle cartridges. Five cases in the middle of the image appear to contain 500 rounds of 9mm luger rounds each. Five cases on the right side of the image appear to each contain 200 rounds of 6.5mm Creedmoor rifle ammunition. Karain’s caption for the image reads “Great coming home to a fresh shipment of freedom seeds!”

Another Instagram post thanked Bushnell, a company for which he serves as brand ambassador, for the Tactical Elite ERS riflescope pictured. The scope appears to be mounted on an SCAR 17, a gas-powered rifle developed by firearms manufacturer FN Herstal for the United States Special Operations Command. According to FN America’s website, the commercial version of the rifle is semi-automatic only; the manufacturer’s suggested retail price is listed as $3499.

A January 2016 Instagram post of Karain’s appears to be an attempt to win a Zeiss Conquest riflescope in a social media giveaway.

In November 2015, Karain shared an image macro depicting a bespectacled man wearing pajamas and ostensibly drinking hot cocoa. The caption on the image reads “REAL MEN DON’T NEED GUNS, ISN’T THAT RIGHT, MOMMY?” Karain did not post any caption to accompany the image.

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