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 caddie to American golf star Lexi Thompson, passed away suddenly at the age of 39 this week while out in the States, his family have confirmed.

McAlpine was a Scottish amateur champion himself before venturing into caddying after failing to make it as a pro and briefly working as a sales rep.

After 18 months working with Thompson, which included 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 passing earlier this week while claiming their family have been left ‘completely in the dark’ over the cause of death.

‘We can confirm that Kevin has passed away in America,’ Hamish told The Courier. ‘We are completely in the dark about what has happened. It is true that he has been unwell but we believed he was on the mend.

‘There is to be an autopsy and at the moment there is very little we can say. We really don’t want to talk about this at this stage. 

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

McAlpine was also married to LPGA star Anna Nordqvist, who revealed back in August that they were going through a divorce.

It is believed the three-time major champion has now withdrawn from this week’s BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea to fly back to the US following the news of her husband’s passing.

As well as Thompson, McAlpine also caddied for the likes of Amy Yang and PGA Tour winner Martin Laird.