$6M NFL star-turned PGA Tour caddie reveals embarrassing first reaction to Rory McIlroy’s tee shot

Rory McIlroy is one of the most prominent pro golfers, winning six Major championships. However, $6 million NFL star (as per Celebrity Net Worth) and PGA Tour caddie Derek Anderson shared a story of his first reaction to McIlroy's tee shot.

Anderson was caddying for Kevin Chappell at the Zurich Classic with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry in the same group. The former NFL star, on the Golf's Subpapodcast with Colt Knots, revealed the embarrassing incident.

"So, I get to the tee. Obviously, there's a pecking order, and where you stand on the tee, right? I figured that out pretty quickly — I was going to be in the back most of the day," Andersen said (25:36).

"Um, so I get there, and like, he hits it. He pulls the driver. Smashes it. And it goes up in the air, and I was like (cheering). I literally looked around and was like, "No ... not it. It was just—he smashed it, though," Andersen added.

The host asked what Kevin Chappell said to him after seeing this reaction. He replied:

"Yeah, like, I don't think he even saw it," He said. "But after I did it, I was like, "All right." And then we were walking down the fairway, and he was like, "Let's go!" And I kind of got into, like, "All right, we're going to kick some a** today. And I kind of got away from the "I'm watching Rory."

Kevin Chappell and Tom Hoge had decent outings at the 2025 Zurich Classic, making the cut and finishing 36th.

---

How did Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry perform at the 2025 Zurich Classic?

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans - Source: Imagn

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry started their title defence decently, carding -8 after day one, but they lost their way on Day 2. They were -3 before picking up pace by scoring -11 and being in contention going into the final round.

However, they lost momentum on the final day, remaining even par for the day and -22 for the event to finish T12 and dropping six spots. Meanwhile, Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin won the 2025 Zurich Classic by a stroke, carding -28.

Here's the final leaderboard with top finishes at the 2025 Zurich Classic.

• 1st – Andrew Novak & Ben Griffin — -28
• 2nd – Nicolai Højgaard & Rasmus Højgaard — -27
• 3rd – Jake Knapp & Frankie Capan III — -26
• T4 – David Lipsky & Dylan Wu — -25
• T4 – Taylor Dickson & Trace Crowe — -25
• T4 – Karl Vilips & Michael Thorbjornsen — -25
• T4 – Luke List & Henrik Norlander — -25
• T8 – Chad Ramey & Justin Lower — -24
• T8 – Isaiah Salinda & Kevin Velo — -24
• T10 – Jacob Bridgeman & Chandler Phillips — -23
• T10 – Hayden Buckley & Braden Thornberry — -23