Lexi Thompson’s former caddie Kevin McAlpine dies suddenly at 39 while in America, as his ‘devastated’ family claim they are ‘completely in the dark about what has happened’

Kevin McAlpine, former caddy for American golfer Lexi Thompson, died suddenly this week at the age of 39 while in the United States, his family has confirmed.

McAlpine was himself a Scottish amateur champion before venturing into caddies after failing to make it as a professional and briefly working as a salesman.

After working with Thompson for 18 months, including her controversial four-shot penalty at the 2017 ANA Inspiration, the pair went their separate ways in 2018.

McAlpine’s father Hamish, a former Scottish football star, confirmed his death earlier this week, claiming their family had been left ‘completely in the dark’ about the cause of death.

“We can confirm that Kevin passed away in America,” Hamish said The Courier. ‘We are completely in the dark about what happened. It’s true he was unwell, but we thought he was on the mend.

McAlpine was himself a Scottish amateur champion before eventually taking up caddying

“An autopsy will take place and there is little we can say at this time. We don’t really want to talk about it at this stage.

‘As a family we are completely devastated. You can imagine how we feel.’

McAlpine was also married to LPGA star Anna Nordqvist, who revealed in August that they were divorcing.

It is believed the three-time champion has now withdrawn from this week’s BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea to fly back to the US following news of her husband’s death.

In addition to Thompson, McAlpine also served as a caddy for Amy Yang and PGA Tour winner Martin Laird, among others.