Sophie Gustafson was a wellknown LPGA Tour player after 28 professional titles and eight European Solheim Cup appearances. The 45-year-old Swede has been enjoying a new profession as a caddie since 2015. Having faced a difficult time as a professional player since 2008, Gustafson came up with the idea of becoming a caddie.
“When my game had been bad for over two years, I was at my wit's end. I didn't want to play anymore,” said Sophie, who finally hung up her clubs and became a caddie for good in 2017. Her first job as a caddie was for Beth Allen of the USA. Just four months after the two began working together in March 2015, Beth won her first title on the Ladies European Tour, followed by her second and third in 2016.
She also claimed the Ladies European Tour (LET) Order of Merit at the end of 2016 season. However, the partnership ended after the US Women’s Open in July 2017. “For 18 months she played fantastic golf but in the last six months it just hasn't worked and she has completely spinning herself into bad thoughts,” Sophie explained, as quoted by Svenskgolf. “We felt that she needed something completely new, something that broke the pattern.”
Sophie didn’t need to wait long to find a new player to work for. Fellow Swede, Camilla Lennarth, needed her experience until the end of the season. “She has a very good track of the situation. She makes quick decisions, it's no hassle and she's just the same if I made a double or a birdie. It is quite nice to be able to talk Swedish with each other without anyone else understanding,” Camilla praised.
In 2018, Katie Burnett of the USA hired Sophie to carry her bag. Unfortunately, Sophie wasn’t able to give a positive impact for the LPGA player so, in 2019, Sophie found new boss: Linnea Strom of Sweden. The 2019 LPGA rookie feels that she gains a lot of benefits from the former LPGA pro Sophie Gustafson being on her bag, including that Sophie always helps her to stay relaxed.
