Willie Wilcox is no ordinary caddie, as he not only competed on the PGA Tour, but played while battling a heroin addiction.
Now Sung-Jae Im’s right-hand man, the American golfer will be hoping the two-time PGA Tour winner knows little about his past.
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In 2011, the 38-year-old Wilcox was considered a rising star in American golf.
His career highlights include eight top-10 finishes, victories on the Korn Ferry Tour, and a win on the iconic Island 17th hole-in-one at TPC Sawgrass.
But fans may be surprised to learn how Wilcox achieved this success despite suffering from drug addiction.
They said many times: “In my rookie year on the PGA Tour (in 2014), I would say my habit was spending $250 (about £190) a day on OxyContin, Percocet, a few beers, some Xanax. You couldn’t smoke weed or the Tour would suspend you.”
Wilcox was duly suspended that season, but since prescription opioids weren’t tested for, no one knew the severity of his problem.
As Wilcox became more successful, he began to pay for drugs with his earnings.
He started using heroin in 2011, the same year he qualified for the US Open.
Surprisingly, their performance did not decline immediately even when they took heroin during the long breaks between programs.
Then after battling withdrawal symptoms in 2015, Wilcox managed to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs – a prestigious tournament reserved for the top 125 players from around the world.
He added: “10,000 people would be yelling at me because I made a 40-foot putt and I’d make $500,000 — then two hours later I’d be in a heroin den with homeless junkies.”
Wilcox suffered from withdrawal symptoms which forced him to withdraw from the next event.
Although he tried to handle things again in the 2016 season, his addiction made him lose both money and his success before retiring in 2021.
Wilcox has competed in 72 events on the PGA Tour and earned prize money of almost £2 million.
All his remaining savings were spent on rehabilitation and the former golfer started working as a caddy.
Despite suffering a relapse following a car accident, Wilcox ran into his old teammate Im at the 2023 US Open.
He said: “I saw him at the US Open (in 2023) and he immediately fired his caddie. He looked at me and said, ‘You’re caddying for me.'”
Read more at The Scottish Sun
The 26-year-old South Korean has finished in the top 10 six times this season and is one of the best in-form players in the world heading into the Open.
