Xander Schauffele Discusses Driver Testing Challenges at Memorial

DUBLIN, Ohio — Xander Schauffele reflected on his 2019 driver test experience at the Open Championship during a press conference at the Memorial on Wednesday. The golfer revealed he felt pressure during that testing, which led to a candid response about the process.

At the 2019 event in Royal Portrush, the R&A randomly selected players for driver testing. While several golfers struggled with their tests, Schauffele’s failure was the only one publicly leaked. Schauffele said, “I remember there was a line, and I was like, ‘I’m stepping across it.’”

This year, Rory McIlroy faced a similar situation at the PGA Championship when his driver failed the test. Despite several others failing, McIlroy’s issue received significant media attention. Schauffele believes such occurrences are normal in the sport. “It really is normal,” he said, explaining that drivers can gradually exceed regulations without players realizing it.

Schauffele emphasized that a driver failing a test does not give players a performance advantage. He stated, “It’s not like a corked bat. You either swing it hard and hit it hard, or you don’t.”

The golfer also highlighted the challenges of switching to a backup driver, which can behave differently from a player’s main club. “There’s a little bit of a grace period where you have to get used to it,” he said.

In an interesting twist, Schauffele unintentionally leaked that Scottie Scheffler had also failed his driver test while celebrating Scheffler’s major victory. “I was the one who leaked it, basically, about Scott’s,” Schauffele said. “I didn’t realize I was drawing attention to it.”

Scheffler, who won the tournament, discussed the issue of driver testing in his post-match press conference. He acknowledged having used a driver for over a year, indicating that he expected it to potentially fail. Both Schauffele and Scheffler proposed a need for better testing protocols that include evaluating all players to maintain fairness.

As the golfing season continues, Schauffele aims to improve his performance. He noted feeling a sense of urgency as he prepares for upcoming events and looks forward to returning to Portrush.