New York Golf Club star Xander Schauffele found himself standing in the sand in Tuesday night’s TGL match for a first-of-its-kind rules controversy.
Schauffele and the New York Golf Club lost 5-3 to The Bay Golf Club in the first match of a doubleheader at the SoFi Center on Feb. 24.
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New York Golf Club, which trailed 3-0 through the first three holes, rallied to tie the match with three holes of singles remaining. Then, a never before seen rules controversy unfolded greenside.
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How it happened
Xander Schauffele of New York Golf Club tees off against Los Angeles Golf Club during the TGL semifinal match at SoFi Center on March 17, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
In the singles match between Schauffele and Ludvig Aberg on hole No. 13, Schauffele faced a short greenside bunker shot while Aberg had a makeable putt.
As Schauffele stood over his bunker shot, The Bay’s Wyndham Clark threw “The Hammer,” which doubles a hole’s point value. New York quickly declined “The Hammer,” awarding the hole to The Bay until rules officials gathered for a review.
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The decision to allow Clark’s “Hammer” was then overturned because the point-multiplier is not allowed to be thrown while a player is standing over the ball.
Schauffele, who’d hit a practice shot after declining “The Hammer,” returned to hit his official shot from the bunker. He wasted the opportunity, however, leaving the ball in the sand, which allowed The Bay to easily clinch the hole.
Schauffele, who was heckled “The ball doesn’t lie” from the green as he scrambled in the sand, said there was extra injury added to the insults as The Bay ultimately did not have to use one of its ‘Hammer’ throws to win the hole.
“It netted out terrible for us,” Schauffele said. “You know, we were going to decline it anyways, and then I had such a bad shot that they didn’t even have an opportunity to throw a ‘Hammer.’ It actually worked out worse but maybe if I hit the shot a third time it would’ve been better.”
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Clark acknowledged the bizarreness of the sequence and said even he was uncertain while throwing the “Hammer” since on-course referee Derrick Stafford, a 30-year NBA veteran, appeared to be allowing it.
Luckily for all involved, no trophy was on the line in Tuesday’s contest.
“It could’ve been a really controversial event,” Clark said.
“If he made that call in his NBA days I’m not so sure the players would’ve been as nice,” The Bay’s Shane Lowry said of the referee decision.
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Xander Schauffele in TGL rules controversy: What happened?
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