Caddie fired after PGA starting-time gaffe finds new job

Field Level Media|published: Fri 29th May, 12:17 2026

Jul 31, 2020; Truckee, CA, USA; Caddie Austin Gaugert during the second round of the Barracuda Championship golf tournament at Old Greenwood. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images

The caddie who was fired after a late tee-time arrival at the PGA Championship is on a new bag this week.

Austin Gaugert gained notoriety when Garrick Higgo was a minute late to start his first round at Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia two weeks ago.

Higgo was penalized two strokes and wound up missing the 36-hole cut at the major by just one shot. He fired Gaugert the following Monday and brought back former caddie Nick Cavendish-Pell.

Gaugert shouldered the responsibility for the controversial penalty following his dismissal.

"As a caddie, you try to do everything you can to prepare your player for competition and I fell short of that," he wrote on Instagram. "Garrick was understanding throughout the situation and handled it with professionalism and class. This has happened to players before and will again. Garrick handled a difficult situation with grace, and I wish him nothing but success moving forward."

Gaugert has moved forward. He is caddying this week for Dylan Wu at the PGA Tour's Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.

Wu, who missed the cut in his five previous events, opened with an even-par 70 at Colonial Country Club on Thursday.

--Field Level Media

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