Xander Schauffele triumphs at PGA with Austin Kaiser by his side
Bob and Austin Kaiser. Photo by Dick Mason.
– This spring, former Greyhound Austin Kaiser reached a new level in golf. Kaiser caddies for PGA golfer Xander Schauffele. Since mid-May, Schauffele won the PGA Championship and placed in the top ten in two other tournaments, including last weekend’s US Open. Although they’ve teamed up together for over ten years, this spring the two finally reached the highest level of professional golf.
Sunday, Schauffele tied for 7th at the US Open in Pinehurst, North Carolina. The weekend before, Schauffele tied for 8th at the Memorial Tournament. But May 16-19, Schauffele won his first major, the PGA Championship. After several close finishes over the past decade, including second at the Masters, the team of Schauffele and Kaiser finally won a “Major” this spring.
Austin Kaiser grew up in Atascadero. He spent his youth at Chalk Mountain Golf Course. During the summer months, his mom, Popie Kaiser, often dropped him off at Chalk Mountain early in the morning and picked him up at dusk. All day, Austin practiced putting, hit balls at the range, played rounds of golf and perfected his game. He received pointers from a professional who is still involved in Chalk Mountain, Rudy Duran. Duran landed at Chalk Mountain during a stellar journey through professional golf. That includes several decades in the North County.
Rudy Duran (Rudy Duran Golf).
Duran played professionally for several years on the Canadian and US PGA tour. Then, he settled down as a pro at Heartwell Golf Course in Long Beach, California. At Heartwell, he started working with kids and youth. The intent was to expand golf’s reach to a wider range of Californians. He taught kids golf and coached their development. In 1980, he became the first coach of a remarkable 4-year-old golfer who showed up at Heartwell Golf Course, Tiger Woods. For several years, Duran worked with Tiger on his golf game. That was long before Duran arrived at Chalk Mountain.
When he reached his teenage years, Austin Kaiser played for the Atascadero High School Golf Team and Alan Hancock College. While playing for Hancock, Kaiser won the California State JC Golf Championship. The victory led to a scholarship to play at San Diego State. That’s when he became friends with Aztec teammate Xander Schauffele. At SDSU, Kaiser studied criminology. His dream job was a detective with the San Diego Police Department. That was his goal.
That changed when Schauffele graduated from SDSU and started playing professionally. Initially, Schauffele’s dad served as his caddie, however, Schauffele realized that he needed a caddie who was available to travel. He asked Kaiser Kaiser to be his caddie. Kaiser called his mom to discuss the opportunity. After years studying criminology, did it make sense to become a professional caddie? Popie gave him some practical advice, “It’s easier to dodge golf balls than it is to dodge bullets.”
Schauffele began his career in smaller tournaments and worked his way up. He played in the Web.com tour. That’s where he earned his PGA tour card. Kaiser caddied for him from the Web.com tour to the PGA tour.
Kaiser enjoys the technical aspects of the game of golf. Now, he puts his scientific approach to practice. His job includes learning the geography and challenges of courses, and how to play the most difficult courses in the world. Kaiser works with Schauffele’s pros to keep him sharp and prepared. During tournaments, Kaiser tries to keep him calm, confident and focused on his game. That includes casual banter on the course.
Although golf is an individual game, it’s a team sport for the golfer. Schauffele’s staff includes his father, Stefan Schauffele, who coaches his golf and mental game. He also has a putting coach, two physical therapists, and Kaiser, his caddie. Both families are also involved, including their wives and parents. From their home in San Miguel, Bob and Popie Kaiser are supportive of the two golf professionals. Bob and Popie watch the tours on TV, and occasionally travel to tournaments to follow Schauffele and Kaiser around the course.
Coach Rudy Duran with a young Tiger Woods
Bob Kaiser is an outstanding golfer himself. He often plays in the North County. Bob grew up in Coos Bay, Oregon with one of the greatest athletes of his generation. Distance runner Steve Prefontaine lived in the neighborhood. In the 1970’s, “Pre” set American records for every distance from 2k to 10k meters. In their youth, Bob and his friends would occasionally visit a relative who had a home along a fast-moving Oregon stream near Coos Bay. While Bob and his friends fished or played in the rapids, Steve Prefontaine would float downstream in his running shorts and shoes. Then, waist-deep in the river, he would run back upstream against the current. The training regimen he developed in his youth is now widely accepted in the running community. Bob says it was exciting to see his friend and neighbor become a world-famous athlete. Those who met Steve Prefontaine recognized his determination to excel.
Xander Schauffele has that same determination. Although he did not win a major tournament until his recent PGA Championship victory, he has nine other tournament victories, and numerous close finishes. Those close finishes include the 2019 Masters. He finished in a three-way tie for second behind Tiger Woods. Schauffele, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson were only one stroke behind Tiger. During play, Austin and Tiger discussed the coach who taught each of them about the game of golf, Rudy Duran.
Steve Prefontaine in the 72 Olympic Games.
Four years ago, Schauffele won the Gold Medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Recently, Schauffele and Scott Scheffler secured spots on the US Team for the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. In Paris, Austin Kaiser will be at Schauffele’s side, counseling him about each shot and keeping his head in the game of golf.
Xander Schauffele has won $39 million dollars in tournaments over the past seven years. He is now 30 years old.
As a professional golfer, Schauffele may have a long career ahead of him. It’s likely Austin Kaiser will carry his clubs and offer advice on how to play each shot. Austin says he couldn’t caddie for anyone else. It’s a unique team. For nearly ten years, they’ve worked together in tournaments around the world. Their partnership appears destined to continue for years to come.
