No bones about it — this split raised the eyebrows of golfers and fans

I was actually in Fort Wayne this week on a golf trip when I first heard the news. Though I was surprised, the comments of others led me to believe that my reaction was not strong enough. Many were shocked. A few couldn't believe it, but everyone had the same question: "What do you think happened?" That question will inevitably come up when a couple that had been together for 25 years suddenly decides to end their relationship. PGA star golfer Phil Mickelson and his long-time caddy Jim "Bones" Mackay mutually agreed to part ways. No one saw this coming and it is hard to believe. Then again, maybe it shouldn't be. Mackay had already looped for some pretty good golfers before he teamed up with Phil Mickelson in 1992. He carried the bag for Larry Mize, Curtis Strange and Scott Simpson. He may not have been well known then, but he is today and he can thank his association with Lefty for that. The pair seemed to have a great relationship including the "veto" agreement. Once a year Bones could veto Mickelson's choice of club. As we all know, the golfer, not the caddy will have the final say as to what club he wants to hit, but Phil trusted his caddy so much that he came up with the veto premise. With Mackay on his bag Mickelson has won three of the four majors. The only one he hasn't won is the U.S. Open which he skipped last week to attend his daughter's high school graduation. Mackay actually worked last week prior to the opening round. He was at Erin Hills taking measurements and calculating yardages. If weather had delayed the first round, Mickelson might have played. Thus this year's U.S. Open will be the last work he will do with Mickelson. When it comes to player-caddy relationships, this one probably tops the list. Others that come to mind for me include two which ended with the passing of the caddy. Nick Price had a caddy by the name of Jeff "Squeeky" Medlin who died in 1997 shortly after being diagnosed with leukemia. Tom Watson's long-time caddy Bruce Edwards passed away from Lou Gehrig's disease in 2004. The relationship between those golfers and their caddies was incredible and their deaths were difficult for everyone involved. We all believed that the Mickelson-Mackay was not likely to ever end unless something drastic happened. Perhaps we were naive. Mackay himself suggested that most player-caddy relationships don't last long, let alone 25 years. He has a point. Sometimes things don't work out. In 2001 Ian Woosnam had birdied the first hole in the final round of the British Open to move into second place. On the second tee his caddy, Miles Byrne, informed him that there were too many clubs in the bag. Woosie informed the official of the mistake and asked how big the penalty would be for having a 15th club in the bag. He was told two strokes and then he went to the bag and famously tossed the extra club angrily away. The mix up took place when he tried out two drivers on the practice range before settling on one. His caddy forgot to take the extra one out before play began. Interestingly enough, Woosnam got over his anger and backed his caddy, well at least for a while. Two weeks after he finished second to David Duval, Woosnam fired Byrne for oversleeping and missing his early tee time in the Scandinavian Masters. Once, maybe … Twice — no way! Players have been known to cater to their caddies. Lee Trevino was playing on the Senior Tour which had a rule that the player OR the caddy could ride in a cart, but not both. Trevino's long time caddy Herman Mitchell was a big man. Trevino let him ride while Lee walked. Then again some players go through caddies regularly, none more so than Lydia Ko. The former world's No. 1 on the LPGA Tour is just 20 old. She has been a professional for three years and has gone through 10 caddies. Yes, I said 10! So what happened with Phil and Bones? There are some theories being bandied about. One suggests that Phil wants to cut back and Bones doesn't. Another says just the opposite as Bones is coming off knee replacement surgery. My favorite is this one: Phil has not won since the 2013 Open Championship. This theory suggests that may be why Bones has been jettisoned. In team sports the prevailing feeling is that you can't fire the players (who are under performing) so the coach or manager has to go. I don't see this being the case with Phil Mickelson. Personally I think they just feel like taking a break might be a good thing for both of them. You know, there doesn't have to be a reason just because people think there has to be. I hope Phil wins more tournaments. I also hope Bones gets to caddy some more if that's what he wants. Most of all I hope their friendship that has grown for more than a quarter of a century remains strong for the rest of their lives. Al Stephenson is The A-T's golf columnist. Read his blog at: www.advertiser-tribune.com