Xander Schauffele accused of 'egregious' behaviour at US Open
PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele was accused of 'building a ramp' to the hole on the greens during the first day of the 2024 US Open.
Xander Schauffele was accused of 'egregious' behaviour on the greens during the opening round of the 2024 US Open.
Schauffele began his tilt at the third men's major of the year in a star-studded group alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.
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The PGA Championship winner got off to a ho-hum start, notching one birdie and two bogeys in his opening five holes.
But it was Schauffele's putting routine that caused a stir on Thursday afternoon.
During a clip that was re-shared on X, Schauffele could be seen taking extra care before one putt.
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The video shows Schauffele patting down his line extremely carefully. Multiple times.
Under the rules of golf, this is of course absolutely fine as that was changed a few years ago.
But some felt Schauffele was taking the p--- and 'building a ramp to the hole' at Pinehurst No.2.
"This is egregious," one X user blasted. "How are we letting guys get away with building a ramp to the hole?"
Tron Carter of the NLU podcast wrote: "That's Xander's speciality, MASHES an entire trough to the hole."
Others thought that the clip was a complete non-story. Another added: "Is this even serious?"
Judge for yourself:
What do the rules of golf say about this?
The rule was changed in 2022.
At the time, the USGA clarified:
New rule: The previous prohibition of touching the line of play on the putting green is eliminated:
- There is no longer a penalty for merely touching the line of play on the putting green (the term “line of play” applies everywhere on the course including the putting green, and the term “line of putt” is no longer used).
- But the player is still subject to the prohibition on improving his or her line of play on the putting green (see Rule 8.1a, as limited by 8.1b).
Reasons for change:
No advantage is gained if a player or his or her caddie merely touches the surface of the putting green on the line where the ball will be played.
Over time, the prohibition on touching the line of putt had become subject to many exceptions: previous Rule 16-1a listed seven different situations in which a player was allowed to touch the line of putt.
The previous prohibition was difficult to administer and penalties were not often applied; and those penalties that were applied were often perceived as serving little or no purpose, such as when a caddie accidentally touched the line of putt with the flagstick.
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