Calum Hill secures Phil 'Wobbly' Morbey as his new full-time caddie

Calum Hill has secured Phil Morbey, the man who helped Ian Woosnam win the Masters, as his full-time caddie after the pair joined forces for the first time as the Scot recorded a top-five finish in the recent Saudi International.

Calum Hill and caddie Phil Morbey during the Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City. Picture: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images.

Morbey, who is better known as ‘Wobbly’, was available to step in for Hill’s normal caddie, his younger brother Ian, a fortnight ago due to Dane Thorbjorn Olesen missing the final leg of the European Tour’s Middle East Swing due to injury.

The pair hit it off instantly as Hill, a three-time Challenge Tour winner, produced his best performance in 27 starts on the top tour and the partnership has now been cemented following discussions over the past week.

“It was obviously very difficult and kind of sensitive being family,” admitted Hill of deciding to cut ties with his sibling in a working sense, the pair having decided to give it a go in that respect last season. “But, in a certain sense, it also makes it slightly easier because, as family, he is always going to want the best for me.

“He had a little incline that this might happen, but, when we spoke about it, he was happy if it was going to be better for me in the long run. Gaining experience due to being new on the circuit, he could see it was the right thing to do.”

Morbey is one of the most experienced caddies on the European, having started on the circuit in 1981 before having a successful 14-year spell with Woosnam, the highlight of which was the Welshman’s win at Augusta National in 1991.

The Englishman has also worked for Jose Maria Olazabal, Darren Clarke and Thomas Bjorn, with Hill admitting that he had immediately benefited from Morbey’s experience in his splendid effort behind world No 1 Dustin Johnson in the third staging of the Saudi event at Royal Greens in KIng Abdullah Economic City.

“It is hard to put a value on how important experience can be, especially in pressure situations,” said the 26-year-old, who is attached to Gleneagles.

“It’s impressive and admirable how he goes about his business and he helped make things easier for me. I was impressed by his ability to judge factors for golf shots. His wind judgement, or lies in rough, and his expectation of how the ball would react in certain scenarios.

“As a player I’m trying to hit golf shots as close as possible, and I had inclinations about how something was going to factor into the actual distance of the shot. His input was valuable.”

The duo will be hoping to maintain their good work together when the European Tour restarts after a break in Qatar next month before heading to Kenya for a new double-header there.

“Wobbly was certainly impressed by how well mannered Calum was and how he went about things,” said Hill’s manager, Iain Stoddart. “I was getting it from both sides (about a possible partnership) and, when there was a chance we put everything in place, we went through the proper protocols which allowed Calum to speak to his brother and Wobbly to speak to Thorbjorn.

“These things can go awry, but everyone has done the right thing by everyone else and that’s allowed Calum and Wobbly to crack on.”

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