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PGA Tour Follies: Xander Schauffele Gets Ludicrous Free Relief Ruling During 1st Round of Wells Fargo Championship
Photo: Jim Dedmon/USA TODAY Sports

PGA Tour Follies: Xander Schauffele Gets Ludicrous Free Relief Ruling During 1st Round of Wells Fargo Championship

Originally posted on On Tap Sports Net  |  By Ross Baran  |  Last updated 5/9/24

The PGA Tour added to an ongoing list of questionable calls Thursday afternoon. During the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, an incident involving Xander Schauffele caused quite a stir.

Schauffele, who leads the tournament as of this writing, hit his tee shot deep into the woods on the right of the eighth fairway, his 17th hole of the day (he began the round on the back nine). From there, rules officials determined that Schauffele would be awarded free relief due to a ShotLink camera tower and wires residing between his ball and the green. As a result, the 30-year-old was able to move the ball almost completely from the woods.

What the Hell Just Happened?

The PGA Tour strikes again. The ShotLink tower was in the way of the ball? How about the damn forest he hit into?! There's no way the ShotLink would've impeded his line because there was no chance he was getting out without chipping back onto the fairway.

Instead, Schauffele was granted relief and dropped just off the fairway in the rough. From there, he made a par save and moved on. He concluded the round with a 64 and currently holds a two-shot lead entering Friday.

On Tap At The Tee Box

I have no words. The PGA Tour continues to forge new rulings that irritate golf fans. The instance involving Schauffele was easily the most atrocious ruling in quite a while. Schauffele should've gotten out of there with no less than a six, let alone make par. I can't wait to hear the rules officials try to defend this one.

Anyway, it's on to Round 2. Maybe someone will hit it in the water and get free relief because there's a fish in the way.

#DropGate

This article first appeared on On Tap Sports Net and was syndicated with permission.

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