A leap of faith, as Owensboro’s Chris Tichenor calls it, brought him to the pinnacle of golf this week, as he is currently caddying for pro golfer Taylor Moore at The Masters in Augusta.
It’s been a long journey for Tichenor to get to this point, having started his caddying career right out of college. Tichenor said he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, but when an opportunity to go to Merion Golf Club in Philadelphia to get his start became available, he took the risk.
Not knowing anyone there, Tichenor did exactly what he set out to do — build confidence as a caddy and eventually be selected for the Walker Cup out of 20 guys. Tichenor started his career at the club level in 2009, and he eventually reached the professional level in 2016.
Having had golf in his life since he was a child, Tichenor said that caddying is a dream job in the golf world. So, he was beyond ecstatic coming out of college to chase a career that comes with many perks.
“I played golf as a kid growing up and still play a little bit with my buddies when I’m home on off weeks,” Tichenor said. “The freedom that comes along with caddying is hard to beat, so that’s kind of what drew me in. Working 25-30 weeks a year and being paid to travel the world is pretty exciting.”
For the last 3 years, Tichenor’s career has had him alongside Moore as the PGA player’s full-time caddy. They were together for the first time in the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour that Taylor won, and most recently they won the 2023 Valspar Championship.
The win at Valspar — where Tichenor and Moore beat out Jordan Spieth and Adam Schenk — earned them their trip to The Masters. Tichenor said he will never forget the tour official coming to tell them the news while on the hitting range waiting for rounds to finish.
“As a caddy you always think about what you’re going to say, or do, or feel at that moment, but when it happened it was like, ‘Man, it’s real. We did it.’ Honestly, I didn’t really know what to do,” he said. “We hugged and said we were proud of each other, and it was a cool moment I’ll never forget in my life. As a caddy that’s what you dream of — collecting flags.”
The Masters kicked off with the first round on Thursday, and Moore is sitting in a tie for 45th after posting a +1. But the work for today has been a long time coming through rigrourous preparation, as Tichenor does much more than carry clubs for Moore to help him be at his best.
“We’ll get to the course late Monday,” Tichenor said. “We’ll either play or practice, and then if I arrive early I’ll go out and walk the course by myself with the yardage book. Just taking some notes of the course, whether it be slopes in the green, bumps in the fairways, which way the fairway runs, water, things like that… I do everything from get the yardage, to wind, to making sure there’s food in the golf bag, keeping the crowd quiet — everything.”
Tichenor said that while there’s so much to try to soak in and learn while being at Augusta, the difference in how the course is laid out to most is something that has really blown him away in person.
“The elevation changes, TV really doesn’t do it justice,” Tichenor said. “For instance, on the 10th tee it’s probably 80 feet downhill from the fairway and then it’s 60-70 feet — those are guessing numbers — back to the green… So some of the elevation changes in the fairway and then the undulations on the green have been the two biggest things about being able to see it up close in person.”
Tichenor said what has made The Masters also stand out is simply how respectful it is — as nobody is there talking to one another, no one is on their phones, and everyone is just truly happy to be experiencing golf at the highest level.
“I was talking to Rory (McIlroy) on Tuesday and he said it’s funny how everybody here is smiling, no matter what is going on in their lives,” Tichenor said. “It’s a special place to everybody and he’s right about that. Nobody’s in a bad mood here. What I’ll take most from the week is just the opportunity to be here honestly. I’m very grateful to be here and hopefully it’s the first of many.”
Tichenor went on to say just how surreal and special it is to be at The Masters, noting that it’s something that not everyone gets the chance to do — nonetheless be a part of. With plenty of golf left to be played, Tichenor is looking forward to really soaking it all in.
“To any golf fan, it’s the greatest place in the world,” Tichenor said. “I’m very fortunate that all these people want to come and watch, but I get to live in it by the ropes. I’m very grateful for that. I don’t take it for granted. I know have one of the greatest and most sought-after jobs in the world to a lot of golf fans.”
There are multiple ways to try to see Tichenor and Moore this weekend. Tichenor can be spotted by looking for the No. 20 on the front of his caddie uniform, or for Moore’s name on the back.
TV coverage for the tournament will be on ESPN from 2-6:30 p.m. on Friday; on CBS from 2-6 p.m. Saturday; and on CBS from 2-6 p.m.
It may be easier to follow Tichenor and Moore on the Masters app and/or website, which have broadcasts that stay fixated on particular sets of holes regardless of group of golfers are coming through. You can also see shot-by-shot replays from the entire round by going to Moore’s player page here.
