These LPGA player/caddie duos defied the odds by staying together (and winning)

Rick Pano first caddied for daughter Alexa Pano at her first tournament back in October of 2009 – two weeks after she picked up the game. He's been on her bag ever since, with the exception of U.S. Girls' Junior events, where parents can't caddie, and one time he had a business meeting.

At age 68, Rick says he has no intention of slowing down. They plan to have someone else caddie a couple times this season just to get a fresh set of eyes, but otherwise, dad will stay inside the ropes for Alexa's third full season on the LPGA.

"On nine I just gave her an 8-iron from 174 yards, and she put it to 10 feet," said Rick after the opening round of the Founders Cup. "Until someone can do that, I'd rather die on the golf course."

Alexa, now 20, picked up the game at age 5, giving them a 15-year run in the player-caddie partnership.

It's rare these days for LPGA players to keep the same caddie – even if it's family – for most of their careers. A five-year stint feels like a long time in the modern era.

Lydia Ko, for example, has notoriously changed caddies with great frequency throughout her career.

When she was awarded the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year in 2014, a teenaged Ko joked with the crowd at the Rolex LPGA Award Banquet when it came time to thank all the men who had carried her bag.

“This is the funny part, you see,” she said. “I want to thank Scott, Mark, Steve, Steve, Domingo, Fluff, Greg, Jason.”

This year top players with new caddies include Hannah Green, Minjee Lee and Jin Young Ko, who'd won 13 times with veteran caddie David Brooker on the bag.

Meet some of the longest and most successful player/caddie partnerships still going:

Stacy Lewis/Travis Wilson

When it comes to current players on tour who've had a long run with the same caddie, it's tough to beat Stacy Lewis and Travis Wilson.

Wilson has enjoyed a long and successful career with Lewis, a 13-time winner, former No. 1 and two-time Solheim Cup captain. He first worked for the Arkansas standout in the fall of 2008 before she went to LPGA Q-School and picked up her bag full-time after she earned her card in 2009. Lewis and Wilson began their 17th season together this week in Bradenton.

Wilson got his start caddying on the tour in 1993 for his aunt, Tammie Green, the 1987 LPGA Rookie of the Year. Green phoned her 19-year-old nephew in the summer of ’93 and asked if he wanted to fill in as her caddie for one week. Wilson, a college golfer, obliged and the next thing he knew they’d finished fourth in a major and won the Rochester International.

Brooke Henderson/Brittany Henderson

Brittany Henderson, older sister of Brooke, played collegiate golf at Coastal Carolina and had a brief stint on what's now the Epson Tour before turning her focus toward Brooke's career. Brittany has been on Brooke's bag for all but one of Brooke's 13 LPGA victories. And that one was a big one.

Because Brittany was in the field for the 2015 Cambia Portland Classic, Brooke signed up for Monday qualifying. If Brooke didn't get in, she planned to caddie for her sister. Brooke not only qualified, she pounded the field in Portland by eight strokes, becoming only the second player in tour history to win an event after Monday qualifying.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Nelly Korda/Jason McDede

World No. 1 Nelly Korda routinely praises caddie Jason McDede for her success. The pair have been working together since the start of the 2018 season. Jason is married to LPGA player Caroline Masson. The couple made headlines in 2019 when Korda and Masson faced each other in a playoff in Tawain.

Last year at the Drive On in Bradenton, Korda said McDede told her to "get my head out of my ass" after she made double-bogey on the 15th Sunday. Korda went on to finish eagle-birdie over the last two holes to force a playoff against Lydia Ko, which she eventually won.

"I'm not going to lie and say that there weren't doubts and negative thoughts in my head," said Korda after the first of six wins last season. "Fortunately I have an amazing teammate, caddie, right next to me that I get to share the journey and the gray hairs with."

McDede has been on the bag for all 15 of Korda's LPGA victories.

Sei Young Kim/Paul Fusco

After caddying for four of Vijay Singh's PGA Tour victories as well as several others, Paul Fusco moved over to the LPGA. In 2014, Fusco helped Sei Young Kim earn her LPGA card at qualifying school and has been with the South Korean player for the entirety of her career on tour.

A 12-time winner on the LPGA, Kim won the KPMG Women's PGA in 2020 with Fusco.

Nasa Hataoka/Gregory Johnston

Japanese star Nasa Hataoka, a six-time winner on the LPGA, and veteran caddie Greg Johnston began their seventh season together in 2025.

Johnston, who enjoyed a long and successful stint with LPGA Hall of Famer Juli Inkster, caddied for Michelle Wie West early on in her professional career. He first came out on tour in the late 80s.

Ashleigh Buhai/Tanya Paterson

Ashleigh Buhai and Tanya Paterson began their sixth season together at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. Buhai broke through with her first LPGA title, a major, at the AIG Women's British Open at Muirfield. Buhai's husband, David, worked for her right up until they got married.

Why the sudden change?

“Some people say it might be good to stay married,” said Ashleigh (formerly Simon), smiling.

Paterson's husband, Mike, is a longtime caddie on the LPGA, working long stints for major champions Karrie Webb and So Yeon Ryu. He began working for two-time major winner Minjee Lee at the start of this season.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: These LPGA player/caddie duos have been together the longest