Kevin McAlpine, Lexi Thompson’s longtime caddy, passed dead at the age of 39. His father Hamish, a former Scottish player, confirmed the tragic demise.
McAlpine was in the United States when he died.
Hamish said to The Courier: “We are completely in the dark about what has happened.
“It is true that he has been unwell but we believed he was on the mend.
“There is to be an autopsy and at the moment there is very little we can say.
“We really don’t want to talk about this at this stage.
“As a family we are completely devastated. You can imagine how we are feeling.”
McAlpine won championships in amateur golf before turning to caddying.
He was married to Anna Nordqvist, a three-time major champion, and the two have been divorcing since August.
She has reportedly withdrew from this week’s BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea.
After an 18-month collaboration, McAlpine and Thompson parted ways shortly after the 2017 ANA Inspiration tragedy.
She lost the major after making a ball placement mistake that resulted in a four-shot penalty.
Throughout his career, McAlpine also caddied for Amy Yang and Martin Laird.
