Xander Schauffele unwisely performs from an inconceivable lie on the 2024 Zozo Championship.
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World No. 2 Xander Schauffele’s opening day on the Zozo Championship, for probably the most half, was a standard, drama-free spherical of event golf. As Schauffele mentioned afterward, “Like 85 p.c of the day was not very tense.” Sadly, that different 15% turned a strong rating into an unsightly one.
And all of it revolved round one of many worst lies you’ll ever see on a golf course.
After beginning his day with eight-straight pars, Schauffele misplaced his tee shot on the lengthy, par-4 ninth gap right into a grove of bushes to the left of the green. Instantly, he needed to fear about bushes blocking his path to the inexperienced on his method. However when he arrived at his ball, he discovered a worse scenario than he might have imagined.
Xander Schauffele dropped these 10 takes in epic press convention
His ball was not simply blocked by a tree, however it was embedded in between two roots on the base of a tree, with the ball barely peeking above pine straw and filth.
To most golfers eyes, it appeared Schauffele’s lie was an inconceivable one, and there was no possibility however to comply with Rule 19 and take aid from an unplayable lie together with a penalty stroke. However Schauffele noticed issues in another way, and it ended up costing him large.
Schauffele pulled a wedge and set as much as his ball, instantly going through into the tree, to try to hack it out and keep away from the penalty stroke. He made his first swing and his wedge smacked into the tree trunk. His ball? It barely moved. Unhappy, Schauffele reloaded and instantly tried once more, and this time he appeared to overlook the ball fully, taking a divot subsequent to his ball.
As he arrange for a 3rd try, his caddie Austin Kaiser had lastly had sufficient and stopped him.
“I imply, already the injury is finished, however you may’t maintain hitting it proper there,” Kaiser informed his participant, inflicting Schauffele to interrupt out laughing.
He then informed his enjoying companions to go forward and play, as a result of he would lastly be taking an unplayable.
Reasonably than double down on his resolution, Schauffele admitted his large mistake whereas speaking to reporters after his spherical.
“No. 9 simply, it was an unimaginable spot. I wished to take a photograph of it virtually, how unhealthy it was. For me to suppose I can do something positively received me in a gap there,” Schauffele defined, “I ought to have simply taken an unplayable, however I used to be an fool and tried to hit it. Then I used to be cussed after which tried to hit it once more, then lastly took an unplayable. I used to be going to hit it a 3rd time too simply because, however yeah, it was a nasty spot.”
However he additionally revealed that he would use the incident as a studying expertise for the long run.
“I imply, positively I feel having false confidence helps at instances and in these spots it actually doesn’t,” Schuaffele mentioned. “So I’ll positively attempt to assess it somewhat bit higher subsequent time and actually suppose if I can get it out or not.”
After taking his drop and taking the penalty, Schauffele hit his fifth shot somewhat over 100 yards up the opening, however crucially within the fairway.
His sixth shot discovered the inexperienced, and following a regular two-putt, Schauffele scribbled down a four-over 8 for the opening, affectionately identified to hackers in all places as a snowman.
Happily for Schauffele, he has three full rounds left to play to get well from his main miscue. However he has a ton of catching as much as do. He already trails first-round chief Taylor Moore by 10 photographs.
