Jack Loflin Advances to Semifinals with Merion Caddie Jack Hopkins on His Bag
Alex Elias
USGA/Ishika Samant
In 2022, when Merion Golf Club hosted the Curtis Cup, Tim Carroll, Caddie Master at Merion Golf Club, held a draw for the 16 Merion caddies chosen to work the three-day competition between the USA and Great Britain & Ireland.
This year, at the U.S. Amateur Championship, forty-four Merion caddies were on the bag for the world’s best amateurs.
The lone caddie left? Jack Hopkins, who started caddying at Merion when he was 12 years old, carrying for Carter Loflin.
Defeating Brandon Knight 3&2 in the Quarterfinals, Loflin spoke on Hopkins’ importance after the round.
“He’s helped me immensely,” said Loflin. “I was telling somebody out there, I was like, this must be what Scottie [Scheffler] feels like having Ted Scott on his bag. Before he even tees up his ball, he knows he’s going to save two or three strokes somewhere today. Maybe. It might not be that much if you just stripe it. But you feel like you’re saving shots before you even start, which is like just such a big confidence builder because it takes so much pressure off of you feeling like you have to play your A-game.”
“But he knows this place so well. He’s an incredible green reader.”
Aside from the course knowledge, Loflin admitted Hopkins’ “endless positivity” has been just as valuable.
“He’s, like, endlessly — he’s kind of a foot in your ass a little bit,” said Loflin. “But yesterday on 18, I’m 2 up with two to play. I lose 17 hitting a horrible shot. Hit a horrible tee shot on 18. I hit a good punch shot, but I’m over the green. Jennings is on the green. All he has to do is two-putt basically. I’m in the rough, and Jack is like, ‘How are you feeling?’ I’m like, ‘Man, I can’t believe I feel like I’m just blowing this thing.’ He’s like, ‘You haven’t blown it yet; chip the ball in.”
“He’s a very calming influence. He doesn’t talk very much. He’s very quiet, which I like because I talk a lot. I’ll talk to you if I’m pissed off or if I’m happy. It’s nice for me to have a caddie that doesn’t quite talk as much because he’s more—just like whenever he says stuff, it really means something. If he tells me no, then I’m not going to do it, type of thing. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Ahead of the Semifinals, faced with the question, Would he be here if he hadn’t been walking with Hopkins this week? Loflin responded, “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I feel like I’m a good player. I feel like I’m definitely capable of doing this type of stuff, but I can’t say that it hasn’t helped me having like a positive voice on my shoulder the entire time. Yeah, it’s hard to say.”
“I don’t think so. I just can’t see it,” said Loflin. “There’s been too many situations where he’s helped out to—it’s like small stuff, but those small things add up. A tenth of a shot here, a tenth of a shot there, a quarter shot there. That really makes a difference.”
