Open champ Xander Schauffele's brilliant six-word reply to caddie after 'aggressive' chat

Xander Schauffele offered a wry retort to his caddie's straightforward advice as he edged towards Open Championship glory. The US star recently lifted the Claret Jug, adding it to the USPGA trophy he secured earlier in the year, following an outstanding performance in Scotland.

Schauffele posted an impeccable bogey-free final round of 65 at Royal Troon, etching his name alongside golfing legends who have clinched multiple majors within a year. The 30-year-old hailed his performance as the "best round I've played". Yet there were still moments fraught with tension over the final holes.

One such instance unfolded on the challenging par three 14th hole, leading to a brief disagreement with his caddie, Austin Kaiser, regarding club selection. The exchange culminated in Kaiser giving some decidedly no-nonsense guidance.

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

True to form, Schauffele split the sand traps guarding the green's front and sunk the putt, inching nearer to history. 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!'"

Schauffele paid tribute to Kaiser's meticulous preparation, saying: "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.

"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."

Now halfway to golf's career grand slam of majors, Schauffele is far from complacent. After his victory at the Open, he declared: "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.

"Everyone in my family knows how competitive I am. I may not be the guy running around fist-pumping, but that's just who I am.

"I kind of know how I need to be to perform at a high level. The same way I don't get really angry, I also don't let myself get too over the moon because to me it's the same thing."