Justin Rose and caddie Mark Fulcher end partnership after ’11 amazing years’

Justin Rose’s long-time caddie Mark ‘Fooch’ Fulcher has been forced to take an indefinite leave from the game to focus on his health, ending their 11 year partnership

Justin Rose took to social media on Tuesday night to announce that he and long-time caddie Mark Fulcher have decided to part ways ‘after 11 amazing years’ together. At least for the time being.

Fulcher, who underwent heart surgery at the start of the year, is taking an ‘indefinite leave of absense from caddying to focus on his health and well-being after the heart procedure earlier this year’, Rose said.

Rose explained that the decision came from advice to Fooch from his doctors, but that he had ‘no doubts that we will stride a 72nd hole late on a Sunday afternoon together in the future.’

At the start of 2019 Fulcher took to twitter to share that he was having a ‘little heart surgery’, but hoped to be back ‘sooner than later’. 

“He’s got a heart procedure Thursday morning,” Rose had said in January at his first event of the year – the PGA Tour’s Desert Springs. “It’s a mechanical thing going on so hopefully he can be right as rain very soon but obviously surgery is surgery so it’s going to take him some time to recover, so we all wish him well for that.”

Henrik Stenson’s former caddie and Fulcher’s good friend Gareth Lord took up caddie duties in his place for a temporary period as Fulcher recovered from heart-surgery. It turned out to be a good pairing, and Justin Rose was quick to dedicate his win at the Farmers Insurance Open to his regular bagman as he claimed his 10th PGA Tour title in his second start of the year with Lord.  

“Fooch, that was for you, mate,” Rose said in his winning interview. “I’m sure watching us all weekend was harder than the heart surgery. … Love you, and we’ll see you soon.”

After missing six events Fooch returned to Rose’s bag for the Masters, where the former World No.1 missed the cut, and has caddied for his boss in three events since: The Wells Fargo Championship (T3), the PGA Championship (T29) and the Charles Schwab Challenge (T58). 

But now, on doctors advice, Fulcher is taking an indefinite leave of absence from caddying for the World No.3, and Gareth Lord is once more on the bag for this week’s tournament at Memorial.

Together, Rose and Fulcher claimed the 2013 U.S. Open, the FedEx Cup and reached World No.1, in addition to eight further PGA Tour titles, seven European Tour wins, and two other career victories.