Zozo Championship first round leaderboard:
-7 T Moore (US); -6 E Cole (US), M Greyserman (US), N Echavarria (Col)
Selected others: -2 R Fowler (US), M Kuchar (US) H Hall (Eng); -1 S Power (Ire); +3 X Schauffele (US); +6 D Skinns (Eng)
Xander Schauffele called himself “an idiot” after he carded a quadruple-bogey eight during the opening round of the PGA Tour’s Zozo Championship in Japan.
The 30-year-old United States player’s wayward tee shot on the par-four ninth at the Narashino Country Club wedged itself among some tree roots.
Rather than take a penalty drop, the double major winner twice tried to hit the ball from out of the roots – only to fail to dislodge it.
Schauffele shook his head and laughed as he considered making a third attempt, but finally took the drop for an unplayable lie.
“I wanted to take a photo of it almost, how bad it was. For me to think I can do anything definitely got me in a hole there,” Schauffele said.
“I should have just taken an unplayable, but I was an idiot and tried to hit it. Then I was stubborn and tried to hit it again, then finally took an unplayable.”
It was the only blemish on an otherwise straightforward three-over round of 73 for Schauffele, who won both PGA Open and British Open earlier this year, which featured one birdie and 16 pars.
Schauffele is 10 shots off first-round leader and compatriot Taylor Moore, whose round of 63 left him out in front at seven under par.
Moore holds a one-shot lead over fellow Americans Max Greyserman and Eric Cole, and Colombia’s Nico Echavarria.
England’s Harry Hall, who won his maiden PGA Tour title in July, is five shots off the lead at two under, while defending champion Collin Morikawa of the USA is a further shot back.
