Who Is Jhonattan Vegas’ Caddie? Meet Ruben Yorio
Argentinian looper Ruben Yorio has caddied for Jhonattan Vegas for several years - here is what we know about him
![Jhonattan Vegas poses for a photo with his caddy Ruben Yorio after winning the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on July 27, 2024 in Blaine, Minnesota.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bDkP4t7Z8CiRcTCYMfNfBF-415-80.jpg)
Four-time PGA Tour winner Jhonattan Vegas has worked with veteran Argentinian caddie Ruben Yorio since 2015.
Yorio has been on Vegas’ bag for his last three victories on the PGA Tour, including his recent win at the 3M Open, where he claimed his first title in five years.
Yorio, who grew up in Ezpeleta on the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires, came from humble beginnings.
He lost his father – a railway station worker – to a heart attack at the age of 14, leaving his mother to raise him and his brother on her own.
“We’re from a poor background,” Yorio told Golf Canada in 2018.
Unlike many caddies on the PGA Tour, Yorio didn’t grow up playing golf at a high level. In fact, he wasn’t much of a golfer at all before caddying at his local club for the first time at the age of 12.
He said he discovered caddying after one of his friends showed up one day with “a new bike, new shoes and new clothes” after looping at Ranelagh Golf Club in Buenos Aires.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
Yorio’s friend then invited him along to the course, where he would start caddying for the members and make US$20 a day.
He eventually started caddying in the professional ranks by the age of 18, before moving on to stints on the European and LPGA Tours.
Prior to working with Vegas, Yorio had a successful spell with fellow Argentinian Angel Cabrera, with the pair winning the 2009 Masters and the 2014 Greenbrier Classic together.
He also looped for Alvaro Quiros in between, helping the Spaniard win the 2011 Dubai Desert Classic.
When Cabrera’s son started carrying his bag, Yorio decided to move on and started working with Vegas, and has been a permanent fixture of the PGA Tour player’s team ever since.
Jhonattan Vegas celebrates with his caddie Ruben Yorio after winning the 3M Open.
Yorio and Vegas, who is from Venezuela, have formed a strong South American connection, and have both been passionate about growing the game in the region.
"We have to get kids involved in the sport, teach them what a golf club is and how to hit the ball,” Vegas told Arizona Republic in 2023. “I'm sure many good players will come out of it, but if there is no exposure, it will be difficult for golf to grow."
Yorio added similar sentiments: "There would have to be more publicity in Latin America and there would have to be more big tournaments so that people are motivated and want to see themselves reflected in the pro players."
Vegas managed to return to the winner’s circle in 2024 with victory at the 3M Open, having struggled with injuries during most of the 2022-23 season. He has required surgery for an elbow injury and continues to live with pain.
Yorio said Vegas fought through pain on the course to claim a one-stroke victory over Max Greyserman, thanks to a birdie on the 18th in the final round.
“He always was a fighter,” Yorio said of Vegas after the win.
Joel Kulasingham is freelance writer for Golf Monthly. He has worked as a sports reporter and editor in New Zealand for more than five years, covering a wide range of sports including golf, rugby and football. He moved to London in 2023 and writes for several publications in the UK and abroad. He is a life-long sports nut and has been obsessed with golf since first swinging a club at the age of 13. These days he spends most of his time watching, reading and writing about sports, and playing mediocre golf at courses around London.
-
'Lexi Has Definitely Changed Women's Golf' - Thompson Receives Team USA Praise Ahead Of Probable Solheim Cup Swansong
Lexi Thompson has received praise from some of her Team USA colleagues ahead of her seventh - and likely last - Solheim Cup appearance
By Mike Hall Published
-
Team USA Wins Junior Solheim Cup By Record Margin Over Team Europe
The hosts produced a dominant display to win by a record margin of 18.5-5.5 points at Army Navy Country Club in Virginia
By Mike Hall Published
-
What's The Most Money Earned In A Single PGA Tour Season?
Scottie Scheffler's 2023 and 2024 seasons are the most lucrative in PGA Tour history with a combined $50m won in official prize money
By Elliott Heath Published
-
PGA Tour Money List Leaders Through The Years
Some legendary names have topped the PGA Tour money list through the years, but the achievement hasn’t always proved as lucrative as today
By Mike Hall Published
-
Which Golfers Have The Most Top-10s In PGA Tour History?
Top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour are something to be savored, but a handful of players have achieved more than most
By Mike Hall Published
-
Who Is Alison Lee’s Caddie?
Alison Lee’s excellent form in 2024 earned her automatic qualification to the US Solheim Cup team, but who is her caddie?
By Mike Hall Published
-
Who Is Albane Valenzuela’s Caddie?
Albane Valenzuela was named one of Suzann Pettersen’s wildcards for the Solheim Cup, but who is her caddie?
By Mike Hall Published
-
Every Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year Winner Since 1990
Five winners of the Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year award have gone on to win Majors
By Elliott Heath Published
-
Every PGA Tour Rookie Of The Year Since 1990
The PGA Tour Rookie of the Year title, known as the Arnold Palmer Award, has been won by a number of the game's modern day greats since its inception in 1990
By Elliott Heath Published
-
Every PGA Tour Player Of The Year Winner Since 1990
The PGA Tour Player of the Year title, known as the Jack Nicklaus Award, has been handed out since 1990
By Elliott Heath Published