Schauffele Calls Himself Idiot After Quadruple Bogey at Zozo
Xander Schauffele had a tough start at the Zozo Championship in Japan, carding a quadruple-bogey eight in the opening round. The 30-year-old American golfer’s troubles began on the par-four ninth hole at Narashino Country Club, where his tee shot landed awkwardly among tree roots.
Rather than opting for a penalty drop, the two-time major winner attempted to play the ball out of the roots—twice—only to leave it stuck. Frustrated but amused, Schauffele shook his head and briefly considered trying for a third attempt before finally taking a drop for an unplayable lie.
“I almost wanted to take a picture of how bad it was. Thinking I could do something there just dug me deeper,” Schauffele admitted. “I should’ve taken the unplayable right away, but I was stubborn and tried to hit it twice. That was idiotic.”
Despite the disastrous ninth hole, Schauffele completed the round with a three-over 73, managing one birdie and 16 pars.
The leaderboard was dominated by Taylor Moore, whose stellar round of 63 put him at seven under par, giving him a one-shot lead over Max Greyserman, Eric Cole, and Colombia’s Nico Echavarria.
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England’s Harry Hall, who secured his first PGA Tour win in July, finished the day five shots off the lead at two under. Defending champion Collin Morikawa sits another shot back after a steady opening round.
Schauffele, trailing 10 strokes behind Moore, will have to fight back over the next rounds if he hopes to contend for the title.
