MJ Maguire delivered another electrifying performance at the International Series Thailand, carding an impressive nine-under-par 61, which landed him a top-four spot just a week after his playoff win at the Black Mountain Championship in Hua Hin.
Maguire’s strong form has propelled him to fifth in The International Series Rankings and fourth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit—achievements that couldn’t have come at a better time for his caddie, Julian “Eggie” Hunt, who marks 50 years in the profession this month.
For Eggie, who picked up his first caddie job at the age of 10, the timing couldn’t be more fitting. With Maguire’s recent victory in Hua Hin, the duo have notched up four wins since they teamed up last year.
The two first joined forces at the Hong Kong Open, and since then, Eggie has become a vital presence on Maguire’s bag.
Their partnership has been on an upward trend, building momentum at tournaments like the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, where they placed seventh.
Reflecting on their close-knit collaboration, Maguire highlighted Eggie’s invaluable experience: “He’s been a huge help for me, that mature presence on the bag, just having somebody who’s been through everything, he’s seen everything, I just trust that,” he explained.
“Even in difficult moments when things aren’t going so well, he just keeps a very even keel and demeanour.
He’s very good at getting me back in the right frame of mind, if I get a little bit ahead of myself. He just tells me to keep my head down, and keep chugging along.”
Eggie, now a seasoned caddie, decided to enter the profession when he realized a single round of golf could earn him more than a week of delivering newspapers.
Over the decades, he’s caddied for notable players, including German pro Alex Cejka, Dru Love, son of Davis Love III, and even the legendary Seve Ballesteros, albeit only briefly.
Recalling his week with Seve in 1997, Eggie admitted he turned down an offer to stay on full-time with the iconic Spaniard—a decision he still ponders to this day.
“Actually, he made the cut for the first time that season with me, and had his first bogey-free round too. It was fun.
Really tough but fun. We bounced off each other – anything he threw at me, I gave it straight back.
Billy Foster (Seve’s former caddie) called it a mismatch, and it worked. He asked me to work for him, but I couldn’t as I had just started with Alex Cejka.”
When it comes to caddying philosophy, Eggie’s approach is straightforward yet thoughtful.
“Every player is different, but for Michael, he’s very good at what he does. He doesn’t make many bad decisions,” he said, adding that humour is a valuable tool when the going gets tough.
“If things are getting tough, just put a joke in there, a bit of a giggle, a little nudge. He knows his way around and he has an old head on young shoulders. He’s easy to work for.
You have to work out what level of involvement you need. Some players need babysitting, and some don’t.”
Maguire acknowledges that patience and perseverance are essential for a successful player-caddie relationship.
“You have to be patient. It is tough if you get a bad break here or there,” he noted. “It’s not the caddie – it’s just golf.
I think a lot of the caddies get maybe canned a little bit too early, but if you keep on trucking along and if it’s not broken, then why fix it? Golf is one of those crazy games, you never know.”
Next up, Maguire and Eggie will be teeing off at the BNI Indonesian Masters from October 31 to November 3, marking the seventh of 10 elevated events in The International Series.
These Asian Tour-sanctioned tournaments provide a pathway into the LIV Golf League, offering ambitious players like Maguire a shot at the big leagues.
For more details on The International Series, visit www.internationalseries.com.
