World No. 1 Justin Rose will be temporarily working with a new caddie while his long-time looper Mark Fulcher takes time off tour to have heart surgery.
Rose is in Palm Springs, Calif., this week to play in the 2019 Desert Classic, and he'll have Gareth Lord on his bag as he makes his 2019 PGA Tour debut. Lord was the long-time caddie for Henrik Stenson before the pair ended their relationship at the tail end of 2018.
Fulcher will be out of action for several weeks while he's having some kind of surgical procedure on his heart.
Very grateful that @gareth_lord is working for the boss @JustinRose99 the next few weeks.... little heart surgery required .. hopefully be back sooner than later ... grateful for all the support I’ve had ... Come On Rosey #🌹
— Dick fulchers lad (@Fooch1993) January 15, 2019
Rose and Fulcher have worked together more than a decade now, going back to when the pair first began working together at the 2018 Players Championship. Since then, Rose won the 2013 US Open, the 2018 FedEx Cup and has reached No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Fulcher won't have a better idea of when he can return to his normal place alongside Rose until after the procedure.
The temporary change at caddie is just another new thing for Rose as he debuts this week in 2019. He debuts this week as an Honma Golf staffer, playing prototype irons he designed with the company and other clubs after moving on from TaylorMade.
