Two-time major winner Collin Morikawa has ended his relationship with his caddie Joe Greiner ahead of the 2025 Rocket Classic. This marks the second caddie change this season for the 28-year-old American, who is still searching for the perfect partnership on the golf course. The separation came as a surprise, as Greiner had only been at Morikawa’s side since May 2025 and had accompanied him to the last five tournaments, in each of which Morikawa made the cut.
Collin Morikawa’s caddie break-up: What’s behind it?
Greiner, who previously worked for Max Homa and briefly for Justin Thomas, was Morikawa’s choice after parting ways with J.J. Jakovac in April 2025. With Jakovac, who had been with Morikawa since his professional debut, the Californian won six tournaments on the PGA Tour, including the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship. But Morikawa was looking for a fresh start when he parted ways with Jakovac in April. Greiner was supposed to fill that void, but after just five tournaments, including a shared 17th place at the Truist Championship and a 42nd place at the Travelers Championship, Morikawa decided to make another change.
A never-ending search process?
Daniel Rapaport from Sports Illustrated described Morikawa’s caddie search as “endless”, which underlines the challenges the player will have to overcome this season. Morikawa himself emphasized that the chemistry between player and caddie is crucial: “Just because two people are great at what they do doesn’t mean we’re going to be great together,” For the Rocket Classic, KK Limbhasut, a former college teammate of Morikawa, will serve as a substitute caddie. Limbhasut, who plays on the Korn Ferry Tour, is only a temporary solution, however, as Morikawa is still looking for a long-term partner. Morikawa himself remains optimistic: “It’s a process that I’m going through,” he said. “We’ll find out when the time comes and I will let everyone know.”
The role of the caddie is of central importance on the PGA Tour. He not only helps with strategy on the course, but is also a psychological anchor. Morikawa’s performances in recent months, including a shared 50th place at the PGA Championship and a 23rd place at the US Open, show that he remains competitive despite the changes, but lacks consistency. Parting ways with Greiner could be an attempt to restore that consistency.
Reactions and outlook
The caddie change caused a new dispute between Collin Morikawa and the media. In a press conference before the Rocket Classic, Morikawa expressed his frustration with the coverage of his caddie change. A reporter from Golfweek, Adam Schupak, had published an article that he said criticized Morikawa and “made him sound bad” for not responding to questions about the caddie change during a pro-am event. Morikawa defended himself: “Those guys [his pro-am partners] are paying a lot of money, they’re very important to the community, they’re very important to the Rocket Classic.”
Morikawa had recently clashed with the golf media when he denied interviews after rounds and insisted he doesn’t “owe anyone anything” to the media in response to subsequent criticism.
