The R&A have offered a record prize pool for players competing in the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon, with the Champion Golfer of the Year bringing home a whopping $3.1 million.
This year, Xander Schauffele produced a typically assured final round to ease to the title, and that means his caddie Austin Kaiser is in line for a healthy payday.
Typically, caddies on tour have a standard agreement that sees them earn 10% of their player's tournament check, meaning Kaiser is set to net around $310,000 thanks to Schauffele's Claret Jug win.
Of course, it's not the only big payday Kaiser has won this year. Schauffele also claimed victory in the second Major of the year, the PGA Championship, which earned the American $3.33m. That meant his caddie will have claimed around $330,000 for his efforts at Valhalla.
While Schauffele's success has paid off handsomely for Kaiser, it shouldn't take away from the fact that the life of a professional caddie is a hard but lucrative one. Caddies are expected to travel the world alongside their player, conforming strictly to their schedule alone. Caddies are handsomely paid if their players are successful however, with Scottie Scheffler's caddie Ted Scott earning an estimated $2.5 million alone this season.
Schauffele's win means he is now enjoying a season as eye-catching as Scheffler's, and, like Scott, his caddie Kaiser is seeing some lucrative financial rewards for his part in that success.
