In the case of ongoing tournament at Quail Hollow for example, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy had a tough time with driving accuracy. A related negativity. On Thursday, Schauffele only managed to hit 4 of 14 fairways, which placed him tied for 150th among 156 players in this critical statistic. Perhaps, as it turned out, most importantly, McIlroy had his own challenges. He missed just 10 fairways in two rounds, but that put him into a last-place tie for driving accuracy with just 74 players making the cut on Friday.
Though it’s been a bit rough with the driver, Schauffele came into the event off the heels of a big win at the Masters just last month. That victory was a high-water mark indeed, as it was his 17th try to win a major title. The victory made him the sixth player in history to complete a career Grand Slam.
Schauffele’s amazing performance was made doubly difficult when he found out after the fact that his driver was nonconforming to tournament regulations. He didn’t know about this problem until he was alerted. In response, he scrambled nearly around-the-clock to locate another driver, a challenge he accomplished in the nick of time, right before Tuesday evening.
In fact, the situation became enflamed when Schauffele himself was accused of being a “cheater” in front of 200-plus people. He assumed truth was on his side when answering the charge.
“I’ve been called a cheater by my fellow opponents,” – Xander Schauffele
McIlroy has looked much better recently. He finished T7 at the Truist Championship last week on the ECHT. Given what he’s accomplished in the past and how he seems to always prepare for these big moments, he didn’t talk to media on Wednesday either at Quail Hollow. He’d even had spare drivers ready for when equipment would break.
Driver testing has recently been thrust into the center of the controversy engulfing professional golf. In 2019, Schauffele was one of 30 players randomly selected for driver testing by the R&A during the British Open held at Royal Portrush. The USGA has emphasized that their driver testing program is consistent with the support they provide to the PGA Tour.
As both players navigate their way through the tournament, their struggles with driving accuracy highlight the unpredictable nature of golf and the pressures professional players face on and off the course.
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