Xander Schauffele had perfect response after ‘aggressive’ debate with caddie

Xander Schauffele has recalled a minor disagreement with his caddie, Austin Kaiser, as he closed in on victory at the Open Championship at Royal Troon

Xander Schauffele delivered a sarcastic response to his caddie’s blunt advice as he closed in on Open glory.

The American recently added the Claret Jug to the USPGA trophy he won earlier this year after a superb display on the final day in Scotland. Schauffele carded a supreme bogey-free final round of 65 at Royal Troon to join some of the greats of the game to have won more than one major in a single year.

As he soaked in the acclaim, the 30-year-old described it as “best round I’ve played”. However, there was still the odd moment of tension as history beckoned.

One occurred on the tough par three 14th, where there was a minor disagreement between Schauffele and his caddie, Austin Kaiser, over what iron to use. It saw the bagman issue the most simplistic advice.

He’s funny,” recalled Schauffele on the Pardon My Take podcast. “On 14 there was a really big moment. I was kind of like, ‘I might hit a five iron and he was, ‘it’s a six iron’. And I was like, ‘OK, it’s a six iron, this is aggressive’. He was like, ‘just hit it between the bunkers’.”

Schauffele did indeed hit between the pair of hazards at the front of the green and then drained the putt to edge closer to victory. He added: “I was so locked in. I just hit it between the bunkers, a really good iron shot to 12ft or whatever. After I hit the shot, I just looked at him and said, ‘just hit it between the bunkers!’”