Why did Xander Schauffele feel the need to apologize to Scottie Scheffler at the PGA Championship?

Xander Schauffele recently opened up about why he felt compelled to apologize to fellow golfer and close friend Scottie Scheffler during the PGA Championship, and it all comes down to an incident involving Scheffler’s golf club and a failed equipment test.

The apology at Quail Hollow

Schauffele and Scheffler, both highly ranked American golfers, played together at this year’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. While they’re fierce competitors on the course, they share a strong friendship off it.But despite the camaraderie, Schauffele found himself in an awkward spot.He revealed that he was the one who unintentionally let it slip that Scheffler’s driver had failed a conformity test during the tournament , a detail that became a headline story.“I was the one who leaked it, basically, about Scott’s,” Schauffele told reporters. “To me, it was more of like, a credit to how good he was, ya know? I didn’t realize , I apologized. I was like, ‘Sorry, dude. I wasn’t trying to have that be a question in your media after you just won another major.’”Schauffele emphasized he meant it as praise , Scheffler used a backup driver and still managed to dominate the field, securing his third career major.

“It was more about, like, this guy just used his backup and absolutely rinsed the field again.”

What was the driver controversy?

Golf clubs, especially drivers, are tested to make sure they’re not giving players an unfair advantage. The USGA pendulum test checks how long the ball stays in contact with the clubface. If the face is too flexible, it can act like a trampoline, launching the ball farther than allowed , which breaks the rules.This became a hot topic at the PGA Championship when reports surfaced that Rory McIlroy’s driver also failed the test, forcing him to switch before the tournament began.

Scheffler’s driver failed later in the week, but he still won using his alternate club.

Schauffele’s own experience and insight

Schauffele recalled his own frustration when his driver failed a similar test at the 2019 British Open at Royal Portrush.“I kind of lit a fire and threw everyone under the bus,” he said. “I remember there was a line, and I was like, ‘I’m stepping across it.’”Now older and wiser, Schauffele understands the system better and doesn’t see the issue as some scandalous shortcut.“It’s not like a corked bat,” he explained. “That’s just not how golf works. You either swing it hard and hit it hard or you don’t.”He also highlighted that drivers gradually become more flexible over time as players use them , a phenomenon known as “CT creep.” Drivers don’t suddenly become illegal, they just wear down from repeated use until they eventually fail the test.“We hit our drivers a lot, so they creep and then they go over a line.

We don’t know the line , we have no clue. Unless our driver physically cracks and you start hitting these knuckle balls off the tee that disperse everywhere; then you know your driver’s broken.”

What the tour and players are saying

The USGA, which conducts the equipment checks, defended its testing process. CEO Mike Whan stated that 90% of drivers tested are actually used during the round, and serial numbers are tracked to avoid players swapping in “safer” backups just to pass.Still, concerns remain. Lucas Glover recently suggested on his radio show that some pros might submit their backups for testing to avoid risking a failure with their preferred club, though this has not been confirmed.Collin Morikawa, another PGA Tour star, said that while players joke about dodging the tests, he doesn’t believe anyone actually does it.“People joke about doing it, but I don't think anyone actually does,” Morikawa said.As for the failed drivers, he offered a simple analogy: the testing results work like a traffic light.“Green is good, yellow passes , but be cautious, and red means it’s illegal.”“We want our drivers to be in yellow,” he added. “It's passing, but it's like you want it to be fast, you don't want it to be slow.”

The bigger impact: Performance and trust

Swapping drivers isn’t just about rules, it can disrupt a player’s rhythm. Even if the backup club has the same specs, it may feel slightly different, especially to professionals who know every nuance of their gear.“They can have all the same writing and logos on them, but the makeup of each head and shaft is slightly different,” Schauffele explained. “We have our trusty club, and then you take it out and switch it … there’s a little bit of a grace period where you have to get used to it.”That might help explain Rory McIlroy’s struggles at Quail Hollow , widely considered one of the best drivers in the game, he suddenly found himself missing fairways and barely making the cut, finishing tied for 47th.

Looking ahead

Scottie Scheffler has been in dominant form, continuing to win even under equipment challenges, a testament to both his consistency and adaptability. Meanwhile, Xander Schauffele is working to recapture his peak, aiming to rejoin the top contenders like Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.With the season heating up and the U.S. Open on the horizon, Schauffele will be eager to sharpen his game and re-establish himself as a constant presence at the top of leaderboards. His recent reflections show a player focused not just on performance, but also on accountability and growth, both on and off the course.