What is Xander Schauffele’s drop gate situation? Full controversy explained

Xander Schauffele had a near-flawless opening round at the Wells Fargo Championship, which could have become a bit patchy if not for his luck on the penultimate hole of the round.

Schauffele carded a 7-under 64 on the first day at Quail Hollow Club, sinking six birdies, one bogey, and an eagle. After 16 holes, he was at six-under before reaching the par-4 eighth, his 17th hole of the round. His 312-yard tee shot lost its direction, and the ball ended up falling into the trees on the right side of the fairway.

Schauffele and his caddie, Austin Kaiser, struggled to find the ball, which was later spotted by Wyndham Clark within the allotted three-minute time. After finding the ball near the property fence, Schauffele called for a rules official, as the fence was obstructing his backswing. The official allowed him to take relief and also permitted him to move two large rocks that were not embedded.

After taking relief, the seven-time PGA Tour winner complained that one of the ShotLink towers was obstructing his line of play. The official, Dave Donnelly, examined the situation and, after being convinced, awarded the golfer free relief within two club lengths from the tower.

From once being quite close to incurring a penalty, he was now dropping the ball on the pine straw, which was clear of any such obstruction. From here, all he needed was an easy chip and two putts to save a par.

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"My ball was probably like a foot, two feet from the fence," Xander Schauffele reflects on the Drop Gate situation at the Wells Fargo Championship

During the post-round interview, Xander Schauffele reflected on the drop-gate controversy.

"My ball was probably like a foot, two feet from the fence," he said. "If ball was here, fence was kind of here, hitting back this direction. If I went towards the green, the fence kind of worked this way so I had what I could hit, a 4-iron or something low and just kind of run it through. If it gets stuck, I'll just kind of hit my next one out."

Xander Schauffele added that he invited the rule official to explain the situation to him, and he was okay with the golfer removing the two rocks and then getting further relief due to the tower being the Temporary Immovable Object.

"What was a very stressful moment turned into a pretty stressless par," he concluded.

Xander Schauffele has started his week at the Quail Hollow Club well and has a three-stroke solo lead after the first day. He will be hoping to continue the momentum as he looks to end his title drought.