‘I was an idiot’ – Xander Schauffele laments costly error at Zozo Championship

Xander Schauffele labelled himself an ‘idiot’ aft a costly mistake led to a quadruple bogey during the archetypal circular of the Zozo Championship successful Japan.

Back successful enactment for the archetypal clip since the Presidents Cup, the World No.2 began his circular with 8 consecutive pars but ran into occupation erstwhile a wayward tee changeable connected the ninth spread nestled itself among immoderate histrion roots.

Rather than instrumentality a punishment drop, the American failed not once, but twice, to dislodge his shot backmost into the fairway earlier yet accepting his destiny and taking an unplayable.

Schauffele was speedy to laughter disconnected the incidental alongside caddie Austin Kaiser but was forced to yet settee for a quadruple-bogey eight.

‘I wanted to instrumentality a photograph of it almost, however atrocious it was,’ the American reflected aft the round. ‘For maine to deliberation I tin bash thing decidedly got maine successful a spread there.

‘I should person conscionable taken an unplayable, but I was an idiot and tried to deed it. Then I was stubborn and past tried to deed it again, past yet took an unplayable. I was going to deed it a 3rd clip excessively conscionable because, but yeah, it was a atrocious spot.

He continued: ‘It’s not thing I’ve done successful a truly agelong time. It’s probably
been similar a twelvemonth since I had a meltdown similar that. All you tin bash is laughter astatine it astatine that constituent due to the fact that it’s conscionable terrible.’

The 30-year-old clawed 1 changeable backmost connected the par-3 13th to motion disconnected for an opening-round 73 but admitted helium could instrumentality solace from the information that helium inactive has 3 days near to rectify his score.

‘If this was Sunday and I was successful a truly bully spot and deed my shot – I don’t cognize however it ended up there, I don’t adjacent cognize if it deed someone; It was truly successful a crevasse – yeah, if it was Sunday I would beryllium pissed,’ Schauffele said.

‘Today I’m conscionable trying to brushwood it off. I’ve got 3 much days successful beforehand of me. Depending connected what the leaders bash tomorrow, it mightiness beryllium hard to get backmost into it. I’m going retired successful the morning, the greens should beryllium a small little bumpy.

‘If I tin sprout seven, eight, thing adjacent lower, that would beryllium incredible, oregon drawstring unneurotic a clump of 3 to 5 under-par rounds and I could beryllium close there.’

At the different extremity of the leaderboard, and 10 shots amended of than Schauffele, is chap countryman Raylor Moore who changeable a seven-under-par archetypal circular to pb by 1 stroke.

Max Greyserman, Eric Cole, and Nico Echavarria – each connected six nether par – are his closest contenders.

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