Can caddies with Augusta pedigrees lead Thomas and Scheffler to top of the 2022 Masters?

Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas come to the 86th Masters ranked No. 1 and No. 7 in the world, respectively, as each are looking to don their first green jacket.

It's the third Masters appearance for Scheffler and the seventh for Thomas, but this time around at Augusta National, each will be paired with a caddie possessing a wealth of knowledge about one of the toughest courses in the world.

Ted Scott, who helped Bubba Watson win Masters titles in 2012 and 2014, has been on the bag for Scheffler since November. He helped the former University of Texas star win three of his last six tournaments, including the Match Play, as he climbed to No. 1 in the world.

Jim "Bones" Mackay, who caddied for Phil Mickelson for 25 years and in five of his six major championships, including three green jackets, has been on the bag full time for Thomas since September.

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Thomas and Scheffler hope their new partnerships pay dividends this week at Augusta National.

"(Mackay) obviously knows the course amazingly, and I feel like I know the course very well too," said Thomas, whose best Masters finish was a fourth in 2020. "It's just about going out and doing it at this point. I think it will be more of game-time stuff, decisions here and there that he'll be helpful. Hopefully we can create a little bit of the success he's had here."

Thomas said the duo might have discussions on how to approach the par-5 second hole, depending on the prevailing win, and at the par-5 15th, which is 20 yards longer at 550 yards, where there could be different spots to layup depending on pin positions.

But he said their new friendship has been the best part of the partnership.

"It's been awesome. Bones is one of the hardest workers I have ever seen. He does a great job and all the other little extra aspects.

"He's a good listener. He's one of those people where you'll be having a conversation about something and three, four months down the road, he'll get you a gift of that little thing, that little candy you were talking about that you liked. It's a great characteristic that he has, but he never wants to be underprepared."

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Scheffler, 25, reached out to Scott after the pair had met in bible study.

“He called me up and said, ‘I really want to work with a Christian.’ That’s how I try to live my life,” Scott told Adam Schupak of Golfweek in February. “The other thing he said was, ‘I really like competing.’ I said, ‘I like competing.’ Thought it could be a fun thing. We hashed out the details.”

The two got their first win together at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February, followed by a March victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in early March and the win at Match Play three weeks later.

"(Scott) works really hard and I have a lot of respect for that," Scheffler said. "We do a good job of managing our way around the course. He keeps things loose and calm. Teddy is definitely someone who doesn't take himself too seriously. He's a pretty goofy guy and we have a lot of fun together. Not everyone may think they're funny, but his dad jokes are pretty good ...We have a lot of fun together. For me, it's been a pretty easy relationship so far, just because I respect him so much."

A key tip at the perfect moment, and a calming influence under pressure from a caddie could lead to a trip to Butler Cabin for Scheffler or Thomas, who both have their sights set on a Green Jacket.

"We've gotten more and more comfortable to where we feel like we can say things to each other if we maybe disagree ... whether it's a club or a read or a wind or whatever it is," said Thomas. "But we've had a lot of fun and we're both really, really excited about what's to come.

"But we also understand it's a tough game and you just have to be patient because we feel like some really good things are coming, but you just have to let it."

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas enter 86th Masters with new caddies