On Saturday, March 15, veteran caddie Billy Foster announced that he is splitting with his player, Matt Fitzpatrick. The two teamed up six years ago in 2019 and have seen six victories together—two on PGA and four on DP. With how well they worked together, they were considered a bit of a dream team. Now, however, Foster is scaling back and stepping down as Fitzpatrick’s caddie.
Billy Foster’s Retirement?
Billy Foster made the announcement himself on social media after some rough months for Fitzpatrick’s performance.
“Well after 6 great years, all good things come to an end. This game never stops to frustrate you & infuriate you….!!! Unfortunately times change & ultimately it’s the caddie or the coach that has to accept results are not good enough & when you stop enjoying what you are doing it’s time for a change. Thanks Matt we had a great run & who knows where the next chapter will go. Onwards & Upwards.”
It is speculated that the team’s recent losses that had Fitzpatrick slide into the world’s 61st ranking sparked this decision. These Losses include The Players Championship where he missed the cut. This was also the year that Foster was set to scale back his work as a caddie. This post also reads as a bit of a retirement message, Foster has been a caddie for over forty years.
“Who knows, I might be back full time at some point but now seems the right time to give the body a break and catch up on things I miss out on,” Foster told Golfweek in January. “I might even start playing golf again.”
This comes in the midst of a series of announcements from other golfers like Rory McIlroy making plans for retirement.
Foster In The Future
He won’t be retiring completely but most likely from just being a caddie. He is looking to get into other side gigs and this may include TV commentary, setting him on the caddie to broadcaster pipeline. This has also been set in place since the beginning, the plan has always been six years before a phaseout begins. In a statement with GolfWeek Foster said:
“When I started with Matt six years ago, I told him I’d like to do 20 (tournaments), that 27 is too much,” Foster said. “From day one, I wanted someone to work a few. I’d still like to do 18 but it’s not fair to have someone do just seven. So I compromised that I’ll do 13 for Matt and maybe pick up a few in Europe, too.”
Matt Fitzpatrick’s next primary caddie is most likely going to be Daniel Parrat who was already sharing the position with Foster during the 2025 season. It will be hard to truly replace Foster, Fitzpatrick has called him the greatest caddie of all time at the 2022 US Open;
“This means the world to Billy,” said Fitzpatrick. “It’s unbelievable for him. I know it’s something he’s wanted for a long, long, long time. To do it is incredible.”
Parrat is a pretty capable caddie, so he should do well for Fitzpatrick. He does however have some big shoes to fill.
A Farewell To Billy
As Foster said himself “all good things must come to an end.” We are looking at the end of an era for Foster and Fitzpatrick. Billy Foster will most likely stick around the sport in the foreseeable future, but just doing other things.
Main Photo Credit: © Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
