When Scottie Scheffler competes in the final round of the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, he will be without his trusted caddie, Ted Scott. This unexpected development comes as a result of a “family emergency,” as reported by Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis. With Scott absent from the bag, the question arises: who will step in to support the World No. 1 during this crucial round?

Brad Payne is the guy who will work with Scheffler on Sunday this week. And there’s a good reason why. Brad Payne is a close friend and mentor to Scottie Scheffler, both on the PGA TOUR and back home in Dallas.

As per the PGA Tour, Brad Payne works as a chaplain to the pros, thanks to his work with College Golf Fellowship, an organization that Payne is currently the President of. According to the Fellowship’s website, their goal is to invest in the lives of college golfers and current professional pros on the Tour, helping them become fully devoted to Christ.

Growing up in a small Baptist church in Southern California shaped Payne’s faith, which he now shares through his chaplain work. And that’s something that’s common between him and Ted Scott, arguably Scheffler’s most trusted looper.

Most importantly, Payne has a background in golf too. In fact, he has been a part of it for decades now. For instance, between 1989 – 1991, he competed in collegiate golf at Pepperdine University in Malibu, achieving three top-three finishes in the West Coast Conference Men’s Golf Championship. And given his experience, he’s also caddied for players like Paul Stankowski on the PGA TOUR, and though he doesn’t caddie often on Tour, he’s familiar with the courses and golfers.

So, despite this sudden shift for the final day of this week, do not be too worried. The last time they worked together, Payne and Scheffler, the PGA Tour pro, won his second major.

Brad Payne and Scottie Scheffler’s 2024 PGA Championship round was successful

As Scottie Scheffler prepared for the 2024 PGA Championship, he faced a familiar yet challenging situation: his regular caddie, Ted Scott, temporarily stepped away from the team. That time, Ted Scott left for a family event, so Brad Payne helped Scheffler by being the caddie on Saturday. This was especially important because things were tense before the third day.

Days ahead of the 2024 PGA Championship, the Texan was arrested for a felony, among others, after allegedly assaulting a police officer outside the major’s host of the season, Valhalla Golf Club. After spending only some time behind bars, Scheffler knew that he needed to flip the script. And so, he did. Despite Scott not being on his bag for the weekend, the pro shot a 73 on Saturday and then a 65 on Sunday to clinch his second major win with the 2024 PGA Championship.

Despite the Saturday setback, Scheffler said of his friend, Payne, “It was a pretty easy decision. He told me at the beginning of this year that that was the date that it was, so I got a backup caddie lined up. One of my buddies is going to carry the bag on Saturday, and then Ted will be back for Sunday’s round.”

So, are we going to see a similar result this time around, almost over a year apart? Well, likely. Just look at how Scheffler is performing. Heading into the final round at Memphis this week, Scheffler is just two strokes behind leader Tommy Fleetwood. After posting a 5-under 65 on Saturday, the four-time major champion found himself in a strong position for the final group.

Now, heading into the final round, Scheffler will compete alongside U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, who also shot a 65 on Saturday. The pair is set to tee off together at 1:30 p.m. ET. So, let’s hope for another successful partnership between the two.