“It is time to move on” – When Tiger Woods announced the shock firing of Mike ‘Fluff’ Cowan despite winning 7 PGA Tour titles and a Masters together

Tiger Woods has worked with several caddies throughout his successful career on the PGA Tour. One of his caddies was Mike "Fluff" Cowan.

The duo had enjoyed a successful partnership together. They won seven PGA Tour events and the prestigious Masters together at the start of Woods' career.

Mike and Woods joined forces when the latter turned pro in 1996 at the age of 20. They worked together for around two and a half years. However, Woods fired his caddie in 1999. The American golfer released a statement that year on his split with Cowan.

He said (via CBS News):

"Fluff and I have discussed this over the past few weeks and we both feel it is in our best interest to part ways. I appreciate the support which Fluff has provided and recognize the contributions Fluff has made to my success as a professional. But it is time to move on, and I feel confident we will remain friends."

After parting ways with Woods, Cowan went on to work with Jim Furyk. The duo have been working together since 1999.

However, for this week's WM Phoenix Open, Cowan joined Taiwanese golfer CT Pan. He has been carrying the bag of Pan at this week's PGA Tour event, which started with its inaugural round on Thursday, February 8 and the final is set to take place on Sunday, February 11, at the TPC Sawgrass.

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Who is Mike "Fluff" Cowan?

Mike "Fluff" Cowan is a professional golf caddie who has been in the industry for over four decades. Born on February 7, 1948, Cowan grew up playing sports. He was a multi-sport athlete while studying in school at Lawrence High School and later shifted his interest to golf. He played collegiate golf at William Penn College in Oskaloosa.

Over the years, he has carried the bags of several top-ranked golfers in the world. He started his journey with Ed Sabo, with whom he worked from 1976 to 1998. He then served as a caddie for Peter Jacobsen from 1978 to 1996, when he finally joined Tiger Woods.

However, after working with Woods for two and a half years, he joined Jim Furyk. In addition to them, Cowan has also worked with many other golfers, including LPGA Tour star Michelle Wie. Cowan served as her caddie when Furyk was not playing due to his injury and Wie was competing in an amateur tournament in 2003.

Over the years, Tiger Woods has also worked with several caddies. After Cowan, he hired Steve Williams and they won 13 Major titles working together. They parted ways in 2011 and then Woods started working with Joe LaCava.

However, their partnership came to an end following Wood's horrific car accident, which forced him to limit his outings to professional tournaments. LaCava is currently working with American golfer Patrick Cantlay.