“I said ‘we’re gonna win it’” - Xander Schauffele’s caddie Austin Kaiser says he predicted the PGA Championship win weeks ahead of the event
Austin Kaiser, Xander Schauffele's caddie, predicted the American golfer's victory at the 2024 PGA Championship ahead of the tournament. At the recently concluded Major on Sunday, May 19, Schauffele played fabulously and emerged victorious, winning the first Major of his career.
After the event, Kaiser opened up about Schauffele's win while talking to a PGA Tour reporter. He revealed that, before the tournament, he had admitted to CBS reporter Colt Knost that they would make it to the Major.
He said (via PGA Tour's X account):
"Colt Knost, works for CBS about a month ago, he goes, 'I gotta do a podcast, and it's based on PGA. Who do you have to win?' I told him,'We're gonna make it.' He goes, 'Why do you say that?' and I go, 'It's Zoysia, which he's played very well on. You know, East Lake's zoysia. It's a long ball's course, and we're hitting the hell out of it right now.' And I was like, 'He's gonna do it there.' So he's like, 'Alright. I'm going to pick you. Don't let me down.'
Adding to his statement, Kaiser shared that when Schauffele lost to Rory McIlroy at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, the golfer himself displayed confidence in his play. He added:
"You look at all our close calls. It's like, we go back to one shot that we're like...if that .... didn't do that, we win the tournament. And I was like, 'One day, they're all going to come your way. That's just what's going to happen.' You know, he shook my hand on 18, last week after Rory best us, and he goes, 'We're going to win one of these soon, dude, and that was, like, the most clarity I've ever had, and I'm like, 'Yeah. He truly believes it.'
Kaiser further appreciated Schauffele's incredible play in 2022 when he won two back-to-back events and three tournaments that year.
"If you look at what he's done in the past, he'll go through these stretches where he'll fire off, you know, three in a row. Like 2022, you know? Win Travelers. Win the Scottish, you know, and it's like, he'll just fire them off. So, I'm excited to see what the future holds."
Schauffele broke his two-year winless streak at the 2024 PGA Championship. During the tournament, he shot a round of 62, setting the record for the lowest round in Major history. He registered a one-stroke victory over Bryson DeChambeau after playing four rounds of 62, 68, 68, and 65.
All about Xander Schauffele's caddie Austin Kaiser
Xander Schauffele has been working with his caddie, Austin Kaiser, since 2017, when the golfer joined the PGA Tour. In their eight-year journey, the duo has cherished every moment, good and bad. They won eight PGA Tour events together and also added a Major win to their accolades.
Austin Kaiser and Xander Schauffele went to the same college and played golf for their San Diego State University college team. They are one of the most consistent golfer-caddie pairings in the industry.