Xander Schauffele Struggles with Quadruple-Bogey in Japan

Xander Schauffele referred to himself as “an idiot” after he scored a quadruple-bogey eight during the opening round of the Zozo Championship at Narashino Country Club in Japan. The 30-year-old American golfer faced a challenging situation when his tee shot on the par-four ninth hole lodged itself among tree roots. Instead of opting for a penalty drop, Schauffele attempted to hit the ball from the roots twice but failed to dislodge it.

After a moment of contemplation and a laugh at his predicament, he ultimately decided to take an unplayable lie and drop the ball. “I wanted to take a photo of it almost, how bad it was,” Xander Schauffele said, reflecting on his decision-making. He acknowledged, “I should have just taken an unplayable, but I was an idiot and tried to hit it. Then I was stubborn and tried to hit it again.”

Despite this misstep, Schauffele finished his round with a score of 73, three over par which included one birdie and 16 pars. This error marked the only blemish in an otherwise solid round. He now trails the first-round leader, Taylor Moore by ten shots. Moore also from the U.S. took the lead with an impressive round of 63, finishing at seven under par.

Moore holds a narrow one-shot lead over Americans Max Greyserman and Eric Cole along with Colombia’s Nico Echavarria. Meanwhile, England’s Harry Hall, who secured his first PGA Tour title in July, sits five shots off the lead at two under. Defending champion Collin Morikawa stands another shot back, highlighting the competitive field as the tournament unfolds.