Schauffele Falters at Zozo Championship in Japan

Xander Schauffele, the esteemed golfer and recent US PGA and British Open champion, faced a significant setback at the Zozo Championship in Japan. During the opening round, Schauffele's shot on the par-four ninth hole landed in a seemingly unplayable position among tree roots. In an attempt to recover without penalty, he tried twice to hit the ball out, ultimately failing and incurring a quadruple-bogey eight. Reflecting on his efforts, Schauffele candidly admitted, 'I was an idiot,' acknowledging that he should have opted for a penalty drop sooner. Despite this incident, his overall performance was marked by a round of 73, putting him 10 shots behind the leader, Taylor Moore. Moore led the field with a standout round of 63, followed closely by Max Greyserman, Eric Cole, and Nico Echavarria.