Xander Schauffele produced the performance of 2024 during the final round of The Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club.
Schauffele’s stunning six-under 65 saw a second major championship added to his resume as the likes of Billy Horschel and Justin Rose fell just short in the hunt for the Claret Jug.
Schauffele started his final round with five pars before making birdies on six and seven. The American would then pick up shots on 11, 13, 14 and 16 and eventually finish two clear of Rose and Horschel. Schauffele’s victory also meant American golfers won all four majors for the first time since 1992.
The American has since been discussing his victory and highlighted a critical moment on the back nine, where his caddie Austin Kaiser played a vital role.
What Austin Kaiser did on the 14th at The Open Championship
Schauffele and Kaiser have formed quite the team during the 2024 season, and the world number two’s caddie deserves plenty of credit.
Schauffele has now revealed that Kaiser’s decision-making during the final round of The Open, particularly on the par-three 14th, proved decisive.
“He had a couple of really good club pulls later. His club pull on the par-three was really big. 14. That was a good one. We were on a six iron, and I was like maybe five to take the bunkers out,” Schauffele told the Smylie Show.
“He’s like it’s a six, just hit a six. I think I backed off a couple of times and ended up making birdie. His read on that putt was incredible as well. We happened to do it at a really good stage, but we were stacking good decisions on good decisions.”
Who is Xander Schauffele’s caddie Austin Kaiser?
Schauffele has had Kaiser on his bag for the entirety of his career since turning professional in 2015 and eventually joining the tour in 2017.
The duo had known each other since their San Diego State college days in 2011 when they both were part of the Aztecs’ golf team.
Interestingly, the pair almost split up in 2016 after Kaiser enjoyed a big night out in Dallas after the AT&T Byron Nelson. Schauffele scheduled an early-morning practice session only to be searching for his caddie into the early hours.
Thankfully, the issue was resolved, and the pair have gone on to achieve great things. Kaiser has even revealed that he would never caddie for anyone else on tour, even Tiger Woods.
“If Xander fired me and Tiger or any of those guys came up to me, I wouldn’t caddie for anybody else. Because I don’t have that emotional attachment,” Kaiser told the San Diego Tribune back in January 2020.
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