Best friends can make the best caddies, especially on professional tours like the Epson Tour, where the shared journey creates bonds that go far beyond the golf course.

Hailee Cooper, one of the newest LPGA Tour members for the 2026 season, is doing double duty as a friend and caddie this week at the Qualifying stage of the 2025 LPGA Qualifying Series in Venice, Fla., for Nicole Lorup, who has become a consistent travel companion and dear friend for Cooper.

“I knew I wasn't going to have to come to stage two,” said Cooper. “She [Nicole Lorup] was looking at a couple of other caddies and said, ‘You know what? I really want to have a stress-free week.’ So Nicole said, ‘Hey, this is a long shot, but I don't know if you want to caddie?’

“I’ve never really caddied. I never, ever caddied for her, but I've caddied for a couple of people, and I was like, ‘Absolutely, I'd love to. It’s an off week for me, so why not get some exercise and carry the bag?”

After Cooper’s standout sophomore season on the Epson Tour and accomplishing her dream of securing membership on the LPGA Tour, she is now looking to help a friend achieve that same goal. The 25-year-old claimed eight top-10 finishes and made 17 of 19 cuts over the course of the 2025 Epson Tour season to finish No. 10 in the Race for the Card, recently receiving her LPGA Tour card following the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells.

Cooper mentioned, “It's really cool because we know how far we hit each other's clubs, because we've played a lot of practice rounds together. I've never played with her in a tournament and only played with her in practice rounds. I'm actually excited to see how she thinks in a tournament. I think she's excited to see how I would think in a tournament.”

Golf is known to be an individual and often lonely sport, so having a strong support system around you is pivotal for success. Lorup, a native of Denmark, often relies on her fellow Epson Tour members to help her feel at home while traveling across the United States.

“I asked Hailee because she's my best friend out here,” Lorup explained. “I spend a lot of time with her. If anyone knows me out here, it's Hailee. I've gone through a few caddies, and it's just not clicking. I just wanted a chill week with a little bit of help. Clearly, she knows what she's doing now that she has a little LPGA Tour card.”

Lorup, who also recently wrapped up her sophomore campaign on the Epson Tour, has struggled throughout the year with not only her golf game, but also finding the proper fit when it comes to a full-time looper. Having gone through a season testing out all options – multiple caddies, no caddies, carrying, and pushing her golf clubs – she is looking forward to a week with a very comfortable companion.

“It's going to be amazing because every time we're at tournaments together, I never get to see her on the golf course, and I have to tell her about everything whenever I'm finally done,” said Lorup. “So now, she's going to have to watch everything firsthand and hopefully stop the bleeding before it starts. It's going to be fun. It's an extra fun trip with your friend.”

Lorup, who is a University of Nevada, Las Vegas alum, only secured one top-10 result this year, but managed to finish at No. 65 on the Race for the Card leaderboard, safely guaranteeing Epson Tour status for the 2026 Epson Tour season.

“Hopefully, I'll see a few things differently versus going down the same normal path all the time,” said Lorup, “I don't know if you call it tips or anything, but a little different view sometimes, and just talk through things because again, she knows me and she knows what I'm actually capable of because we've done a lot of things together now.”

The bond Cooper and Lorup have built over their years on the Epson Tour is a true reflection of the incredible connections the golf community can foster, and the remarkable people the game can bring into your life.

“We have some bets,” joked Cooper, “That if she shoots 6-under in any one round, we get to jump in the pool with all our clothes on.”

Follow along here to see if Hailee and Nicole’s bet pays off as Lorup tees off in round one of Qualifying at Plantation Golf and Country Club’s Bobcat Course, Wednesday at 8:11 a.m. local time.

Carrying More Than Clubs: The Bond Between Hailee Cooper and Nicole Lorup

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