Xander Schauffele's perfect comeback to caddie after 'aggressive' disagreement

Xander Schauffele couldn't help but give a cheeky nod to his caddie's straightforward guidance as he edged towards Open triumph.

The golf star recently bagged the prestigious Claret Jug, adding it to his USPGA trophy collection earlier this year after an outstanding final day performance in Scotland. Schauffele played a flawless bogey-free last round of 65 at Royal Troon, placing him among the legends who have clinched multiple majors in a single year.

Basking in the glory, the 30-year-old hailed it as "best round I've played". Yet, even amidst the euphoria, there were moments of pressure as he neared a historic feat.

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A notable instance was at the challenging par three 14th hole, where Schauffele and his caddie, Austin Kaiser, had a brief spat over club selection. This led to Kaiser giving some very basic yet effective advice.

"He's funny," Schauffele recounted 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'."

Following his caddie's tip, Schauffele indeed steered clear of the sand traps guarding the green and sunk the putt, inching closer to the win. He continued: "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!'."

Schauffele owes much of his success to the diligence of his caddie, the Kaiser. Gushing over his right-hand man, Schauffele shared, "He's incredible, he does a really good job. I definitely feel like he gives me an edge on properties that aren't super known on tour."

During last year's Open, Kaiser walked an eye-watering 30,000 steps, tirelessly studying the course for every possible advantage. "Last year at the Open, he logged something like 30,000 steps. The dude's just out there walking, trying to figure out every little bounce, where it can go, can't go," Schauffele said.

Fresh off an Open Championship victory and halfway to achieving the career grand slam, Schauffele is not one to back away from a challenge. Reflecting on his ambition and drive, he asserted after securing the Open title, "There's still a lot of things that I'd like to do in my career, and this is a very big leap towards that. The fire is still burning, maybe brighter than ever."