In what may be one of golf’s more ironic twists this season, Garrick Higgo finds himself watching from the sidelines as this week’s U.S. Open gets underway — while the caddie he recently parted ways with walks the fairways of the tournament.
According to a Tuesday report from Golfweek, Austin Gaugert — Higgo’s former caddie — is on the bag for Patrick Rodgers at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, for this week’s major championship.
The split between Higgo and Gaugert came shortly after last month’s PGA Championship, where Higgo made headlines for missing his tee time in the first round. The late arrival cost him a two-stroke penalty, and he ultimately missed the cut by a single stroke.
Gaugert had worked alongside Higgo since 2025, including during Higgo’s victory at the Corales Puntacana Championship. After parting ways with Higgo, Gaugert quickly returned to work on the PGA Tour, stepping onto the bag for Dylan Wu two weeks after the PGA Championship for the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Now Gaugert is back on the major stage ahead of the golfer who let him go. He’s caddying for Rodgers, 33, who has yet to claim a PGA Tour victory but has put together a solid 2025 season — sitting 51st in the FedEx Cup standings with 15 made cuts, five top-25 finishes, and 18 events played.
