Adam Hayes was a member of the UCF Men's Golf team from 1997-1999 before turning professional following his time with the Knights, but his accomplishments in golf go way beyond his playing career.
During Hayes' time with the Knights, he earned second team All-Atlantic Sun honors, as well as tied the then school record for lowest 18-hole score with 65.
During his junior year at UCF, Hayes began to dabble in a career as a caddie. At the famed Torrey Pines golf course in southern California, he caddied for his friend, Sal Spallone, at the 1998 Amatuer Public Links Championship. It was at this point Hayes started focusing less on playing professional golf and started pursuing a more underappreciated career as a professional golf caddie.
Hayes started caddying on the LPGA Tour from 2000-2003, where he worked with an array of different golfers.
At the time, Hayes was only bringing in about $400 a week, having to share hotel rooms with three other caddies just to make ends meet.
Hayes mentioned in an interview with The Caddie Network in September 2021 that the caddies would sometimes play "scores for floors", with the highest scoring caddie from that day having to sleep on the floor that night. Hayes says the adversity he faced while working for the LPGA shaped him into the caddie he is today.
Hayes has worked with many golfers in his illustrious 22-year career as a caddie, but perhaps none more notable than Jon Rahm. Hayes has been on the bag for Rahm since Rahm's professional career began in 2016.
Hayes, left and Rahm, right
Photo from Getty Images
In 2016, Hayes was caddying for Russell Henley, and Hayes was skeptical about switching to Rahm's bag. He went out to Phoenix to play a couple rounds with Rahm to see if their personalities matched. The pair connected well and a few days later Rahm called Hayes and offered him the job. Five years later, Rahm and Hayes have one of the best golfer/caddie relationships in all of professional golf.
Continuing in his interview with The Caddie Network, Hayes recalls his first time meeting Rahm and his wife. "The first time I met Jon and [his now wife] Kelley, they were the most genuine, respectful, friendly people I'd been around in the golf world. What you see is what you get." Hayes views his relationship with Rahm not only as his boss, but also as a friend.
Another reason why this pairing works so well is communication. Rahm wants a caddie who isn't afraid to speak his mind, and Hayes' confident personality fits this perfectly. "I think the most important thing to understand with (Adam) is he wants to win as much as I want to win, and that's the beauty of it", Rahm said about Hayes during the 2021 BMW championship.
The art of being a caddie is one of the more overlooked jobs in sports. Many don't truly understand what a caddie does and the important role they play in a round of golf. In Hayes' situation especially, a major responsibility of the caddie is to keep the golfer calm during the round.
Early in Rahm's career, he was labeled as a hothead by many due to the fiery passion he played with. In an interview with The Caddie Network, Hayes spoke about dealing with Rahm's explosive personality, "Jon is who Jon is. He's a very competitive guy on the golf course and a lot of people take that the wrong way when he gets mad … I think Jon has gotten a bad rap early in his career."
Hayes has also said that he hasn't tried to change Rahm's personality at all, as his passion is important to the way he plays the game.
In addition to keeping the golfer calm, the caddie must have an abundance of knowledge of the game. A golfer will often rely on their caddie to help them choose what club to use, to layup or go aggressive, or just help with reading a putt.
In one of their first events together, Rahm asked Hayes what club he should use for a tough bunker shot. Hayes, without hesitation, told him to use his 4-iron and aim right for the flagstick. Rahm really appreciated the no nonsense confidence that Hayes spoke with, and it was at this moment that Rahm knew he could rely on Hayes.
All of these factors play into why Hayes has had so much success in his caddie career. During the 2020 season, Hayes finished as the fifth highest earning caddie on the PGA Tour, earning roughly $374,000 according to southamptongolfclub.com. This slots Hayes right above Tim Tucker who was caddying for new golf sensation Bryson Dechambeau.
When Hayes first teamed up with Rahm, Rahm was ranked No.126 in the Official World Golf Ranking, but they wanted to be the best.
Rahm, left and Hayes, right
Photo from K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune
Following his 2020 victory at the Memorial tournament, Rahm finally reached his goal and became regarded as the number one pro golfer in the world. Rahm went on to hold the top spot in the PGA for four weeks during the 2020 season, and currently holds the top spot in the world for the 2021 season. The duo have compiled 13 career victories together since Rahm's PGA career began in 2016. The most notable being Rahm's first major victory at the 2021 US Open, which was also played at the famed Torrey Pines course, the same course where Hayes' caddie career began 22 years earlier.
Since his playing career at UCF, Hayes has gone on to have a highly successful professional career as a caddie. Despite going through a lot of adversity early in his career, Hayes persevered and used this adversity as motivation for success. Hayes has caddied for many tournament wins, a major championship win, and is currently on the bag for the number one professional golfer in the world. Hayes truly is Built by UCF.