Finally in this, the second straight summer of his discontent, Tiger Woods has some good news.
In something of a coup, golf’s deposed king has secured Joe LaCava, one of the most respected caddies in the game.
Since he controversially fired his caddie of 12 years, Steve Williams, in July, Woods has had two names atop his list: LaCava, a straight-shooting East Coaster, and Lee Westwood’s bagman, gregarious Englishman Billy Foster.
But Foster ruled himself out almost immediately, and it was supposed that after LaCava left his longtime employer, Fred Couples, in the summer to work for Dustin Johnson that he wouldn’t be available, either.
Johnson, after all, is young and, to some, the most prodigiously talented golfer to come along since Woods.
Woods, meanwhile, is 35 and recovering from wounds to both his left leg and his psyche.
He hasn’t won a tournament in almost two years, since before his life was derailed by a sex scandal, and has plummeted to No. 49 in the world rankings.
Greg Norman and Nick Faldo have predicted Woods will never win another major, while former European Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallagher — whose daughter, Kirsty, was once close to Woods — warned that the 14-time major champion might quit golf altogether rather than continue struggling.
But the word inside the Tour caddy shack was that despite making the biggest pay check of his career when Johnson won The Barclays last month, LaCava wasn’t happy.
LaCava, the son of a Connecticut investment banker who has a finance degree himself, is old school in many ways, and Johnson’s not exactly known as a hard worker. The caddie also has two children and reportedly wasn’t thrilled about Johnson’s plans to play extra events in Europe next year.
Woods said in a statement on his website that he was approached “by a lot of people, including Joe, who expressed an interest in becoming my caddie.”
He said out of deference to the FedEx Cup Playoffs, he waited to hold “substantive talks” with LaCava. LaCava reportedly told Johnson of his decision to leave after the final round of the Tour Championship in Atlanta on Sunday.
“Joe is an outstanding caddie, and I have known him for many years,” Woods said. “I've personally seen the great job he did for Freddie. I'm anxious for us to be working together.”
LaCava's first tournament on Woods’ bag will be the Frys.com Open, Oct. 6-9, at Cordevalle, in northern California.
After that, Woods is scheduled to play on back-to-back weeks in Australia in November, the Australian Open in Sydney, then the Presidents Cup in Melbourne.
“I'm excited to be working with Tiger,” LaCava was quoted as saying on Woods’ website. "This is a unique opportunity to be part of something very special. Tiger and I have been friends for a very long time, and I know what he can do.
"I want to thank Dustin (Johnson) for the opportunity to work with him, and I wish him nothing but the best."
A veteran caddie who asked not to be identified called LaCava "the perfect man for the job."
If there was one dynamic missing from the Woods-Williams relationship that yielded 13 majors, it was that they were on different wavelengths when it came to sports.
Williams, a New Zealander, is obsessed with rugby, a sport Woods knows little about.
Woods will have no problem on that front with LaCava, who’s a self-admitted sports junkie and diehard New York Rangers and Giants fan.
He once estimated that "99 percent" of his conversations with Couples in their many years together were about sports.
However, the caddie who spoke about LaCava said that while the pairing was a good fit for Woods, he was surprised "Joey would want all the stress that comes with TW."
Some of that stress, of course, could be alleviated if Woods can once again find his game. Or at least some game.
He looked like just another professional at the Bridgestone Invitational in August and then missed the cut the following week at the PGA Championship.
But his coach, Sean Foley, said that Woods, who spent the summer recovering from injuries to his left knee and Achilles' tendon, didn’t have the chance to properly prepare for either of those tournaments but decided to play them anyway.
According to both Foley and Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, Woods has been "working hard" on his game for the past month, principally at The Medalist course in Jupiter, Fla., the club he joined after moving into his new $55 million house.
Both spoke of his return to golf at the Frys.com Open with confidence.
For Woods’ sake, it needs to go well.
After the unforgettable conclusion to the FedEx Cup Playoffs in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon, he needs to justify his inclusion on Couples’ Presidents Cup team.
Couples has already said he would spend one of his two captain’s picks on Woods, but now he needs to choose between Bill Haas, who stunningly won the FedEx Cup and Tour Championship, and Keegan Bradley, who has two playoff wins — including a major, the PGA Championship — in his rookie season.
In truth, both deserve to be on the US team.
