St Andrews man Alan Tulleth bags big win after return to caddying

St Andrews man Alan Tulleth celebrates with Nathan Kimsey after helping the Englishman win the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A at Club de Golf Alcanada in Mallorca. Picture: Octavio Passos/Getty Images.

He was carrying Nathan Kimsey’s bag as the Englishman won the Challenge Tour’s Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A on Sunday, topping the Road to Mallorca Rankings in the process.

Kimsey talked afterwards about how Tulleth had helped keep him “calm and focused” in the final round at Club de Golf Alcanada and the Scot certainly enjoyed the taste of success in the £440,000 event.

“I picked up Nathan’s bag in France probably about four weeks ago,” he said. Referring to one of his former employers, he added: David Law did a wee bit of work for me on it after I said to him that I wanted to come back out as a caddie.

“Nathan’s old manager got in touch with David and asked about me and that led to us linking up, which was good. It’s unbelievable to be part of this win. I was so proud of Nathan as he played great all day.”

Tulleth had been off looping duties for more than a year. “My last tournament would have been for Bryce Easton at Santa Ponsa on the DP World Tour in Mallorca last year.

“I was offered a different job and, having two young kids, I wanted to be at home a wee bit more with them and my fiance, Leah. But I didn’t really settle in that job, so it was time to come back out here again.”

And he’s hoping that Kimsey can hit the ground running when he starts the next chapter of his career on the DP World Tour.

“Nathan offered me the bag two weeks ago for the 2023 season, so we will be down in South Africa for the start of that,” said the Scot, who reckoned his group chats would have been “going mad” as people reacted to his part in Kimsey winning the first Grand Final to be shown live.

“I actually just booked a stag do, so that chat will be going off the chart,” he added with a smile as wide as Alcudia Bay.