Tony Finau to compete in Hero World Challenge with billionaire Jazz owner Ryan Smith as caddie

Tony Finau probably won't have to worry about tipping his caddie this weekend.

The PGA Tour's No. 14-ranked golfer found himself in need of a new person to carry his bag for the Hero World Challenge, scheduled to begin on Thursday, when his usual caddie Mark Urbanek bowed out to be with his wife, who is expecting a child.

After Finau practiced on Tuesday with no caddie in sight, Golf Digest asked him if the plan was to carry his bag during the tournament, his answer came as a bit of a surprise:

Yes, that would be Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, the businessman with a Forbes-estimated net worth of $1.5 billion. Smith purchased the Jazz from longtime owner Gail Miller in October 2020.

Per Golf Digest, Finau has been friends with Smith since well before the latter's financial success, claiming he knew him "since he had zero dollars in his bank account." The friendship was strong enough that Finau, a Utah native, very publicly flipped his allegiance from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Jazz after the sale went through.

The pair got to work on Wednesday in the Bahamas:

Caddies typically get a cut of a player's winnings at a tournament, and the Hero World Challenge holds a $3.5 million purse with $1 million going to the winner. Even the last-place finisher is guaranteed $100,000 just for picking up his clubs.

Per Golf Digest, Finau hasn't yet decided if he'll pay Smith the standard rate this week.