Weir's Caddie Loops For Sean O'Hair — Again

Mike Weir's caddie, Brennan Little (right), is once again on the bag of Sean O'Hair this week at the Chevron.

Interesting to note that Brennan Little, Mike Weir’s caddie for the last decade and a former Canadian Tour player, is looping for Sean O’Hair this week at Tiger’s event after carrying the bag at the season-ending event for the American golfer in Florida. He’ll then fly straight to Florida to work for Weir at the Shark Shootout, his first tournament since injuring his elbow in the summer.

Now Weir has been off since the start of September, so it isn’t altogether surprising that Little would be looking for some work. In the past, O’Hair has worked with Paul Tesori, a veteran caddie. I can’t locate anything on a split between the two, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if O’Hair wants Little on a permanent basis.

On top of this, Weir has had a lot of time to consider his situation going forward — something he told me he’s been actively doing when we’ve spoken since he’s been off with an elbow injury. He said he was assessing everything — though I don’t know if Little was part of that. Little has been on Weir’s bag for all of his wins, and is well-liked by basically everyone, at least as far as I can tell. He even appeared in television commercials with Weir for Dynamic Funds a couple of years back. He’s not your typical caddie, to say the least.

However, look at it from Little’s perspective (and assume O’Hair is interesting in having him loop on a permanent basis) — O’Hair had an off-year and still made $1.8-million, though down steeply from the $4.3-million he made a year previous. O’Hair is 28, and Weir is 40 — and if you look at this pragmatically, one would assume O’Hair has a lot more earnings upside, especially with a caddie making between 5% and 10% of a golfer’s earnings, depending on his agreement. Weir might rebound, but O’Hair has superstar potential.

I first noticed O’Hair using Little in a blog post on Canadiangolfer.com by instructor Nick Starchuk, who referenced it in passing here. Starchuck said Little was surprised by the power displayed by O’Hair in comparison to the shorter-hitting Weir.

Of course, it also wouldn’t surprise me if Little stays put. By all accounts he’s a very loyal guy, and a friend of Weir’s for many years. Weir spoke very highly of him when I talked to him about Little a couple of years ago — saying he was basically the ideal caddie, and was punctual and knowledgeable.

Either way it would be a tough decision — but caddies do lead a transitory life. And no one could blame Little for going with O’Hair if the opportunity presents itself.