Getty Brooks Koepka and caddie Ricky Elliott
Although the exact amount caddies are paid typically won’t be disclosed, previous data allows us to get an idea of how much Brooks Koepka’s bag man Ricky Elliott makes. One thing we do know is that a caddie will typically receive a salary and then pick up somewhere between five to 10 percent of a player’s winnings in each tournament, according to Golfweek.
As they detail, the exact percentage can depend on how well a player finishes, although that may have changed a bit of late. Golfweek cites a story in Forbes which states that caddies would receive 10 percent if a player won the event, seven percent for a top-10 finish and five percent for anything lower.
These numbers offer up a baseline idea of what Elliott makes while working alongside Koepka, and we’re going to take a deeper dive into it.
Brooks Koepka’s Caddie, Ricky Elliott, Estimated Salary
When looking back at the 2018 season for Koepka, it was an impressive run which featured victories at both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. When the year wrapped up, Koepka had won $7,094,047 total while posting six top-10 finishes.
Assuming the above percentages of five to 10 percent stands true, this means Elliott earned between roughly $354,702 (five percent) to $709,404. Considering Golf Digest revealed that Koepka’s 2018 U.S. Open victory came with a first-place payday of $2.16 million, which would pay Elliott roughly $216,000, it’s expected his bonuses were on the high end.
Beyond that, PGA.com pointed out that Koepka won an additional $1.98 million for his victory at the 2018 PGA Championship, adding roughly another $198,000 to Elliott’s bonuses for the year. All of the bonus money is believed to be added on top of the standard salary he makes as well. According to Golfweek, caddies make between $1,800 to $2,000 in weekly salary during tournaments.
Caddies Typically Cover Their Travel Expenses
Although the pay for being a caddie is certainly nice when golfers are winning or making cuts, there are obviously plenty of times when things don’t go as smoothly. If a golfer struggles and isn’t making cuts (or money), it would mean a caddie is taking home their base salary and nothing beyond that, barring their specific deal being different.
Going beyond that, Golfweek explained that most caddies cover their own travel expenses, as they typically aren’t factored into pay.
By most accounts, the average weekly base pay for caddies on the PGA Tour runs in the neighborhood of $1,800-$2,000 per week. On the LPGA, it’s closer to $1,200. The majority of those funds go toward travel expenses, which are almost never covered outside of the weekly wage.
For the most part, if golfers are able to consistently make cuts, it’ll be at least a decent weekly bonus for caddies. In many events, the minimum payout for making the cut and finishing somewhere around 70th or slightly better is at least $20,000. Assuming that’s the case, it would equal out to around a $1,000 bonus which will increase as a player climbs the leaderboard.
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