Xander Schauffele makes peace with Royal & Ancient Golf Club after British Open flap
After railing against the Royal & Ancient Golf Club over his failed driver test during the British Open, Xander Schauffele is ready to put the whole thing behind him.
“I feel like I’ve said my piece and made peace with the R&A,” he said ahead of the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis. “My agent has had a word with them. They were respectful with not wanting to bug me too much (last) week. (But) we’ve met with them and are willing to work with them.
“I think in the long run, it’ll all work out.”
Schauffele, currently No. 11 in the World Golf Ranking, declined to go into specifics of his meeting with R&A.
Following Friday’s round at the British Open, Schauffele revealed his driver did not meet R&A standards when it failed a CT test, which measures a club’s spring-like effect limit. He did so, in part, because news of the failed test had already begun to make the rounds within the “traveling circus” of pro golf.
"I've been called a cheater by my fellow opponents. It's all joking, but when someone yells 'cheater' in front of 200 people, to me it's not going to go down very well,” he told reporters last week.
Other PGA Tour members were vocal in their support of Schauffele, who is ranked fourth in the FedEx Cup competition.
Brandt Snedeker, currently ranked 47th in the world, said his driver has been tested at the British Open two years in a row.
“I totally understand where Xander’s coming from,” he said. “I haven’t had any issues, but I’ve been close. But I totally get it. If someone questions my integrity, I’m gonna fire back at ‘em. People are saying he shouldn’t have done that, and I’m like, ‘Well, why?’ The R&A can get away with questioning a player’s integrity, but a player can’t come back at ‘em?
“It doesn’t make sense to me.”
Justin Thomas, currently ninth in the world, believes there’s an easy solution.
“I think that’s on the manufacturers to make sure that (the clubs) are tested and that they are conforming,” he said. “Because that’s not fair to the rest of the field if guys are using some and some aren’t. We don’t have those tests just sitting in our living room (where) we can do them when we get home.”
Schauffele said he feels the support from his fellow Tour golfers.
“A lot of them have come up to me, like, ‘It’s a bit of a rough go, but we’re happy you stood up for yourself,’” he said. “A few veterans saying that goes a long way. It makes me feel better about what I did. I just want the best for everyone. I don’t think there are any hard feeling on either side.”