The American golfer, Will Zalatoris, fired his caddie and best friend, Ryan Goble, earlier this year to save their relationship.
Will, who finished second at the 2021 Masters Tournament, revealed that he was not on good terms with his caddie.
Zalatoris said, as quoted by the Times-News (h/t USA Today):
"We've kind of had a rough month together, and it was starting to affect our relationship."
He intended to make the shocking decision to save their relationship. Will went on to say:
"I know guys say that when they split, but it really was. We were guys that we would love to have dinner together and hang out, and what was happening on the course was starting to bleed off the course, and that's not what you want."
On an emergency basis, Josh Gregory filled Goble's position for the third round of the PGA Tour.
It is important to note that Will Zalatoris was playing at the Wyndham Championship and was six strokes behind leader Sungjae Im when he fired his caddie.
Changing his caddie at the last minute impacted his game, but Will did not want to ruin his relationship with Ryan and thus decided what was best for him.
As quoted by the golfer, Ryan and Will have been best friends for the past three years. He said:
"He's (Ryan Goble) basically been my best friend for the last three years. It was just getting a little unhealthy for both of us, and obviously, it hurts."
An inside glimpse of the early life and career of Will Zalatoris
Born on August 16, 1996, in San Francisco, Will Zalatoris is among the most popular golfers. He is best known for his remarkable performances at the 2020 TPC Colorado Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour, where he registered his victory.
Hailing from Plano, Texas, Will Zalatoris represented Trinity Christian Academy during his collegiate career. He won the US Junior Amateur Championship in 2014 and was named the ACC Player of the Year in 2017 for his extraordinary performance that year.
In the early days of his career, Will had added numerous accolades to his name, including winning All-ACC, First-Team Golf Week All-American, and First-Team GCAA All-American titles.
He turned professional in 2018 but did not succeed in making it past the first stage of the Korn Ferry Tour Q School.
Will finally secured membership for the 2020 season after tying for third at the LECOM Health Championship.
Zalatoris had his first professional win at the TPC Colorado Championship in July 2020, winning by one stroke. With his victory, he qualified for the US Open at Winged Foot.
Will Zalatoris has won two professional events, including one PGA Tour and one Korn Ferry Tour. He finished second at the 2022 PGA Championship, second at the 2022 US Open, and T28 at the 2022 The Open Championship.
He won his first PGA Tour at the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind after defeating Sepp Straka on the third playoff hole.