Xander Schauffele reveals what he said to the rules official just before his controversial drop at the Wells Fargo Championship

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Xander Schauffele has reacted to a controversial ruling that took place on day one of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow.

The 30-year-old leads the way on seven-under after an impressive first round at one of the PGA Tour’s signature events.

However, it wasn’t without drama after he was given relief after a wayward drive on the eighth (his 17th), a decision which left large swathes of the golfing world annoyed.

Schauffele was facing an unplayable lie before calling over a rules official, who granted the American a line-of-sight drop. He would subsequently go on to save par after an impressive approach.

Xander Schauffele sheds light on controversial Wells Fargo incident

Speaking to the press after his round, Schauffele insisted that the line of sight relief was necessary.

“I hit it in the trees. My ball was probably two feet from the fence,” he said [footage via Ten Golf].

“The ball was here, and the fence was here; if I went towards the green, the fence kind of worked this way, so I could probably hit like a four iron or something low and just try and run it through.

“I brought the rules official in there with me because I was like, ‘You’ve got to be okay with this’ because this is the only shot I can hit. Austin and I moved two massive rocks that weren’t embedded, I got relief out of the junk then hit a pretty good shot onto the green.”

The average golfer is right to be angered at Xander Schauffele’s drop

For the average golfer, seeing Schauffele escape what should have been severe trouble is a bit of a sickener.

Bad shots, for the most part, should be punished. The 30-year-old has clearly used the rules massively to his advantage.

However, anyone – professional or amateur – would’ve done the same thing if caught in a similar situation.

He wasn’t breaking the rules and made sure the rules official was in close conversation throughout the process. Frustration should instead be aimed at the rules rather than the seven-time PGA Tour winner.

Schauffele will be delighted with his first round at Quail Hollow and looks in good shape ahead of the PGA Championship; he could be well-placed to land his first major title.