PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Xander Schauffele stated he smiles each time he’s introduced, on the primary tee at tournaments, because the 2020 Olympic gold medal winner.
On Tuesday, upfront of this week’s Gamers Championship at TPC Sawgrass, the 28-year-old Schauffele was requested the place the gold medal he received final 12 months in Tokyo is.
“It feels just like the final time I noticed it was on the rostrum,’’ Shauffele stated. “My mother and father have it. They’re simply showboating [it] round. I don't know the place it's in all honesty. It’s in the home I grew up in. I don’t know if there’s like a protected place now that I’ve moved out or something like that, however I've no clue the place it's proper now.’’
When it was urged to Schauffele that many Olympic champions have a time period throughout which they present their medal round, he delivered a implausible zinger on 2016 gold medal winner Justin Rose when he stated, “Is that based mostly on all Olympic gold medalists or simply Justin Rose? Sorry, Rosey.’’
Requested about encounters with the medal, Schauffele recalled a weird airport incident with a TSA safety agent.
“I needed to journey to Japan with it and I had it in my backpack and I went by means of TSA and I form of put it within the again aspect of my bag that I journey with the place my iPad goes,’’ he stated. “I took every part out clearly by means of TSA and my bag obtained pulled apart. I’m sitting there, like what?
“I completely forgot that I had [the medal] in my precise bag simply because I simply slipped it in there once I was going to go journey, and the man was like, ‘There’s one thing round in your bag.’ I’m like, ‘I’m sorry, sir, you may take my bag aside. I've no clue what that is in your display screen.’ He’s ripping by means of the bag, after which I used to be like, ‘Oh, dangit.’
“So, I pull it out, and he’s like, ‘Wow, what is that this? Is that this like a reproduction or one thing?’ And I checked out him like, ‘No, it’s actual.’ And he checked out me and he’s like, ‘What did you … is it yours or is it another person’s?’ I used to be like, ‘Man, I suppose I must maintain taking part in good golf.’’’
As a result of so many gamers spoke of being overwhelmed up by the course setup and circumstances last week within the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, there was hypothesis that a number of high gamers would possibly keep away from taking part in the occasion sooner or later.
Rory McIlroy was probably the most vocal in railing in regards to the Bay Hill course.
“It wasn’t misconstrued, I used to be undoubtedly complaining,’’ McIlroy stated Tuesday. “Except you had been out on the golf course, you wouldn’t perceive in a method. Look, it was the identical for everybody. I actually get that. However there was a number of alcoholic drinks being drunk within the locker room once I went in there on Sunday afternoon by a number of gamers, so it wasn’t simply me on the market having a tough time.’’
One participant who had no subject with Bay Hill was Jon Rahm, who performed the event for the primary time final week.
“I favored it,’’ Rahm stated Tuesday. “I loved the golf course, I loved the design and I loved the problem. Going ahead, I’ll be again. As a household we favored it. There’s a number of issues to do for my spouse and child on the market, and if I’m having fun with the golf course, it looks as if it’s every week that I’ll in all probability return to.
“I’d quite play at Bay Hill each single week of the 12 months than a golf course that challenges you in no different method than placing. We’re attempting to be the most effective gamers on this planet. We’re taking part in at Arnold Palmer’s place; it’s Arnold Palmer’s legacy. I feel he would really like us to undergo slightly bit. I've nothing to complain about actually.’’
The remark of the day got here from Patrick Cantlay, who was requested in regards to the Sawgrass Stadium Course.
“I'd have favored to have seen what I'd have shot the COVID 12 months,’’ Cantlay stated, referring to the 2020 Gamers, which that was canceled after one spherical. “I feel I used to be 6- or 7-under the primary day [actually 5-under], in order that’s simply misplaced to the ether.’’
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