Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke had his caddie pinched by Team Europe rookie Matt Fitzpatrick
Englishman knew he needed to make changes to reach top level - so nicked the bagman of his skipper
RYDER CUP captain Darren Clarke had his caddie pinched by Team Europe rookie Matt Fitzpatrick.
But it was done with the former Open champion's permission!
The Sheffield-born star, 22, hatched the plan to take Clarke's bagman Jamie Lane after crunch talks with manager Chubby Chandler.
The pair agreed British Masters champion Fitzpatrick needed a fresh face if he was to reach the next level and that's where Clarke came in.
He agreed to lend his protege Lane for the European Tour's Czech Masters last month.
And as luck would have it, that was the week Fitzpatrick clinched his automatic spot in Clarke's 12-man side for the showdown against Hazeltine later this month.
Clarke, according to the , had "mixed feelings about losing so good a caddie and friend" but knew it would be "the best thing" for the careers of both men.
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Fitzpatrick smoothed things over with Clarke - but for Lane there was an "embarrassing" phone call with his former boss.
Lane said: "Luckily, he was very classy about it - the perfect gentleman."
The pair have not looked back since, though, in what Fitzpatrick called the "perfect arrangement".
Fitzpatrick rallied to make the cut on the number at last week's Omega European Masters and the pair have some more bonding time before taking on America in Minnesota.
Reach the heights there and they can become part of golfing legend.