Report: Garrick Higgo not at U.S. Open, but fired caddie is

Field Level Media|published: 06/16/2026, 2:47pm EDT

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

Just as he infamously missed his tee time at last month's PGA Championship, Garrick Higgo missed out on the opportunity to compete at this week's U.S. Open.

However, his former caddie Austin Gaugert, who was at the first tee on time, will be in attendance at this week's major at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., serving as the caddie for Patrick Rodgers, according to a report from Golfweek on Tuesday.

Gaugert had been Higgo's caddie since 2025, including for his Corales Puntacana Championship victory last year. They split days after the PGA Championship, when Higgo missed the cut by one stroke after being assessed a two-stroke penalty for his first-round tardiness.

Gaugert returned to the PGA Tour on the bag of Dylan Wu two weeks later for the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Now he's back on the major stage before Higgo, serving as the caddy for Rodgers, 33, who has never won on the PGA Tour but is 51st in the FedEx Cup standings behind 15 made cuts and five top-25 finishes in 18 events this season.

--Field Level Media