Austin Gaugert’s partnership with Garrick Higgo is off to a winning start! Higgo, a 25-year-old left-hander with conditional status, won the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic, and Gaugert played a crucial role in the victory. Higgo praised him, saying, “My caddie, Austin, he was great. This is only our second week, but he was great. We just kind of kept it light. I just stayed aggressive. I like playing aggressive and he helped me with that.”
Higgo’s win was thanks in part to his aggressive play, which Gaugert supported throughout the tournament. The victory earned Higgo $720,000, and it was a great start to their partnership. Higgo finished at 14-under 274, taking advantage of Joel Dahmen’s meltdown on the final holes. The Sweet Spot is betting this will be a long-term working relationship between them.
Gaugert, a caddie with 10 years of experience, found himself in a peculiar situation at the start of 2024. After working with Ryan Moore for a year and a half, Moore hinted that he might not play much, suggesting Gaugert look for a full-time job. “If I were you and you really wanted to find a full-time job, I would probably go look for a few jobs,” Moore told Gaugert. He took this advice and began the year “unemployed.” However, he managed to snag gigs with Dylan Wu on the Korn Ferry Tour and later filled in for Patrick Rodgers, whose caddie was undergoing hernia surgery.
Gaugert’s luck changed when he received a call from Garrick Higgo, who needed a caddie after his regular partner had left. “I was out skiing two weeks with my dad and my brother. And I get a call… He’s like, ‘Hey, do you want to come down to Savannah?’ And I’m like, I mean, not really,” he said. Despite initial hesitation, Gaugert joined Higgo and helped him secure a third-place finish in Savannah. This led to a three-week trial partnership, culminating in Higgo’s maiden win and a $72,000 payday for Gaugert. “I’ve been telling people I’ve had like, maybe like the greatest, one of the greatest seasons of unemployment ever,” Gaugert joked.
Their partnership was relatively new, and their performance in Savannah likely set the tone. But did you know Higgo and Gaugert’s bond is just one of several recent successful collaborations?
Justin Thomas finds success with new caddie partnership
Partnerships like Higgo and Gaugert’s are a winning formula, and Justin Thomas can agree. Earlier, the golfer acknowledged the frustration of not performing up to his expectations: “It was very frustrating… I’m starting to see a little bit of a light at the end of the tunnel.” Manifesting some truth there, Justin Thomas has finally broken his three-year winless drought. It’s all thanks to his new partnership with caddie Joe Greiner.
Before Justin Thomas teamed up with caddie Joe Greiner, he was in the midst of a frustrating stretch. In 2023, he finished 71st in the FedEx Cup standings, a shocking drop that left him just outside the playoff cut-off. It was a tough year, with missed cuts becoming a recurring theme. At the 3M Open, Thomas missed the cut by just two strokes, marking the second consecutive week he failed to make it past the weekend. His struggles extended across several tournaments, and it was clear that this was one of the most challenging periods of his career. But just when it seemed like things couldn’t get worse, Thomas’s fortunes began to shift with the arrival of Greiner, sparking what would become a game-changing partnership.
Greiner, who previously worked with Max Homa, stepped in to caddie for Thomas at the Masters and continued the role into the RBC Heritage, where they secured a thrilling playoff victory over Andrew Novak. This win marks a significant milestone for Thomas, ending a 1,064-day drought that stretched back to the 2022 PGA Championship. Greiner’s expertise and steady presence seem to have brought a new level of confidence to Thomas’s game.
Greiner’s impact on Thomas’s game has been impressive, especially considering it’s only their second start together. Charlie Hulme noted on The Smylie Show that their first week working together at the Masters was essentially a trial, but they quickly gelled and delivered a remarkable win. For Thomas, who was struggling to find his footing, this change seems to have been just what he needed. With Greiner by his side, Thomas looks poised to continue his winning ways. Now, the big question is: what’s next for this dynamic duo? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!
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