Something is behind my ball’: Wild ruling interrupts Xander Schauffele’s Olympic charge
ter a second-round 66 that propelled Xander Schauffele to the top of the Olympic leaderboard Friday, he was asked how his day went.
“A little bit of everything,” he said.
Nine pars, seven birdies, two bogeys, more than a few excellent shots but also some sloppy ones.
Oh, and one ant hill.
Or an “ant pile,” as Schauffele referred to the colony of Formicidae that abutted his ball in the rough left of Le Golf National’s 13th fairway. Schauffele said he made this unlikely discovery as he was assessing his lie and taking practice swings in the “fluffy grass.”
“I’m trying to get to my ball and I can’t even — what’s going on? Something is behind my ball,” he said. “I went down and saw a pile, so I called an official. It was just ants. It was a pile of ants, an ant pile, or whatever you want to call it, and their home. I didn’t want to mess with it. Couldn’t take relief. It’s a loose impediment.”
A reporter asked Schaufelle if the ants might have been considered a dangerous animal, which would have permitted him relief under Rule 16.2.
Dangerous to some,” Schaufelle replied, seemingly referencing the incident at the 2020 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Classic when Bryson DeChambeau famously lobbied for relief from what he claimed was a congregation of fire ants. “I didn’t feel too threatened by the ants. I don’t think they have fire ants. I’m not too sure to be completely honest.”
