Xander Schauffele offers opinion on caddie-carousel drama ahead of The Open

Xander Schauffele admitted he would never fire Austin Kaiser for expressing his opinion on the golf course as he waded in on the caddie-carousel drama ahead of the final men's major of the year at Royal Portrush. 

The 31-year-old American won his second major championship title 12 months ago at Royal Troon with the help of his good friend and former collegiate golfer Kaiser. 

Schauffele and Kaiser are now in their 10th year working together and the duo share an almost brotherly like bond. 

Several other golfers in the 156-man field have made key changes to their team this season and the topic was raised in Schauffele's pre-tournament news conference. 

Former Open winner Collin Morikawa has hired legendary caddie Billy Foster for this week after parting ways with Max Homa's former looper Joe Greiner after only six tournaments.

Last night, Joel Dahmen confirmed he has split with Geno Bonnalie whilst Tom Kim has sacked Paul Tesori and is no longer working with a golf coach. 

"I regret this at times, but I told Austin he'll never get fired for something he says to me," Schauffele said with a smile. "That was a mistake."

"I feel like I should have maybe reworded that back then," he added. "I know I put myself in his shoes, and I want him to give me his honest advice. I trust him. He played golf. He's a good player. 

"When I ask him for his advice, tell me what you think -- and we know each other's tendencies when we play golf as well. He hits his putts harder than I do, so he's always on maybe a little bit lower read, things of that nature.

"But I told him, I won't ever fire you because you thought it was this and I thought it was that, and if I was right, that's not going to be the difference maker.

"There's a lot of variables in golf. Austin is a great guy, a great caddie. He's one of my best friends. I think, if you can keep your caddie as a constant, it's an advantage."

Xander Schauffele reacts to Scottie Scheffler remarks

Runaway World No.1 Scottie Scheffler also addressed the media on Tuesday. 

Scheffler has now won three major titles, an Olympic gold medal and millions of dollars in prize money but he stunned reporters as he questioned why he even bothers playing the sport ahead of The Open.

"This is not a fulfilling life," Scheffler said when delivering an answer that lasted more than five minutes. 

Schauffele, too, also admitted it was difficult to take in his big accomplishments as he always focussed on 'the next' tournament. 

He said US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley implored him to savour his triumphs in 2024.

"I'm 31, 32 this year, [and I] hopefully have another 10, 15 years in me where I can be competitive," Schauffele said. 

"I don't really think about winning. You always, I think, if you're really competitive, you just think about how to get better and you think about what's next, which is good and bad.

"If you have really good friends around you that will kind of drag you into a celebration, that's nice. 

"I talked with Keegan, and he kept telling me to just really enjoy it. He kept telling me that when I'd sit with him and have dinner with him. 

"I thought about it for sure, just how quickly we kind of move on to the next thing. 

"I just think at some point in my career I'll do that, but right now I really want to keep my head down and keep charging."