Meet Mark Urbanek: Tony Finau's Caddie
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| Tony Finau (right) and his Caddie Mark Urbanek (left) at the 2021 Ryder Cup | Credit: @boydsummerhaysgolf, @murbanek62 |
Tony Finau is a star on the PGA tour. His complete golf game, short but powerful swing, and positive attitude makes him a crowd favorite week in and week out. Because of his raw talent, many would have loved to see more victories under his belt by now but even though it took him a long time to get his second victory, he always seems to be in the mix late on a Sunday afternoon. His recent win at the Northern Trust in 2021 was long overdue and well deserved. While we know Tony puts a tremendous amount of work in to get to that victory, we also know very well that some of that credit should go to his caddie, the person that’s there with him every step of the way to help him make the right decisions on the course. Let’s take some time to get to know Tony Finau’s Caddie.
Who is Tony Finau's caddie?
Tony Finau's caddie is Mark Urbanek. Urbanek is relatively new on Tony’s bag and may very well be what he needed to break back into the winner’s circle. Mark Urbanek, like most of the caddies on tour, has deep roots in the game of golf. He himself is a very skilled golfer; so skilled that he’s even posted a career low round of 62. Not many golfers may be able to post such a low score. Urbanek has also caddied for the likes of Charlie Wi and James Hahn, as mentioned by Golf Monthly. Urbanek is also known for being the only to hoist a golf ball from the tee to within 10 feet of the pin at TPC Sawgrass' famous 17th hole. That's an impressive 137 yard throw.
When did Mark Urbanek begin caddying for Tony Finau?
The partnership between Tony Finau and Mark Urbanek is a relatively new one. Mark Urbanek Began Caddying for Tony at the PGA Championship in 2020 and the pair have been making a really good run on tour ever since. The duo has already captured a win within just 1 year at the 2021 Northern Trust Open. The Northern Trust may be one of Urban’s favorite tournaments now because he was also on James Hahn’s bag when he won the 2015 Northern Trust.
Before Urbanek, however, Tony Finau’s caddie was Gregory Bodine. Tony and Greg had a long standing partnership of around 6 years but the two parted ways just before the 2020 3M open, according to the Caddie Network.
How much does Tony Finau's Caddie make a year?
As mentioned in previous posts, caddie wages are performance based so the actual amount a caddie makes annually can fluctuate drastically from one season to the next. I did my best to give a rough estimate of how much Mark Urbanek may have made in the 2021 season by using the calculations from our friends at Sports Casting. Based on their research, they've concluded that a caddie gets paid 5% of earnings if the player places outside the top 10, 7% if the player finishes within the top 10, and 10% if the player finishes in 1st place. Based on these estimates, Mark Urbanek may have made as much as $483,966 in 2021
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