World No.11 Xander Schauffele has revealed the R&A enraged him
after he was forced into an equipment change on the eve of The Open when
his driver was found to be non-conforming.
Schauffele was one of 30 players in the 156-man field whose drivers were randomly picked for inspection on Tuesday.
Unfortunately for the 25-year-old – who finished tied for second in the championship last year – his was found to be non-conforming, forcing him to scramble a new one in time for his opening round on Thursday.
The whole mattered infuriated Schauffele, who felt he had been unfairly singled out.
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“They only test 30 players,” he said. “I think it’s a little bit unfair. I would gladly give up my driver if it’s not conforming. But there are still 130 other players in the field that potentially have a non-conforming driver, as well.
“I had a word with them and hopefully they take my comments seriously.
“Just test the whole field. It's plain and simple.”
The normally mild-mannered Schauffele added he had struggled to adjust to his replacement driver on the range on Wednesday and that his problems carried over into the opening round where he laboured to a three-over 74.
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After some more tinkering after his round, he was able to dial the club in better and recovered to shoot a 65 on the second day.
However, he added that the whole experience had left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He added: “It wasn't the most fun room to be in. But it is what it is.”
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