Xander Schauffele has stormed into a four-shot lead at the halfway stage of this week's Wells Fargo Championship but his tournament has not been without incident.
In his first round, Schauffele was afforded a controversial free drop after spraying his tee shot right into the trees on the par-4 eighth, his penultimate hole of the day.
The American was able to claim the relief - out of the trees and into rough - due to a ShotLink tower between his ball and the green and, eventually, got up and down for a stress-free par.
While the World No.4 conceded that he got "lucky" with the drop, many on social media branded the decision as too favourable for the player.
But now, with the help of Golf Channel's Johnson Wagner and Senior Rules Official David Donnelly, the Tour has posted a video recreating the incident and explaining the crucial break that allowed Schauffele to petition for a free drop.
"There was a number of things going on here," Donnelly began. "First of all, we found the ball it's in bounds, the fence to the right is a boundary and when Xander called me in he wanted to know if he was able to get relief from the Tower up here. He squatted down, looked that way, and said, 'Well, I've got an easy punch shot. I can easily get this up to the green if the tower's not there.'
Johnson Wagner goes in depth with PGA TOUR Senior Tournament Referee David Donnelly to explain yesterday’s ruling with Xander Schauffele on No. 8 at Quail Hollow. pic.twitter.com/DyQnNdOVkhMay 10, 2024
"I said, 'Yeah, it's, I see the hole. It's easy to get to.' You know, that was a legitimate shot. It's acceptable for the conditions he was obviously, there's a lot of things going on here, but he had a window to be able to play the ball through this area, and that was a very reasonable shot to take on."
Crucially, had Schauffele not had that window to the green he would not been afforded a drop. What's more, the location of his ball - right up against the boundary fence - meant the only possible spot for a free drop was out of the woods.
"Sitting here looking at it, we've got a ball down there. I've got a four iron. I've gotten in here and made a little bitty practice swing. There is no doubt in my mind that I would hit this shot because we're not in a penalty area," Wagner said.
"His only other option would be an unplayable lie, and clearly, two club links aren't going to do anything going back online with the flag. You've got the boundary fence, so the only option is to go back to the tee, and I think this is a totally justified shot."
