Here's why Xander Schauffele is NOT being DQ'd for doing THIS on his new driver

Xander Schauffele has stuck Sharpie lines on the face of his new Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond Driver, but why is it within the rules of golf?!

Andy Roberts's picture
Thu, 5 Jan 2023
Here's why Xander Schauffele is not being DQ'd for doing THIS on his new driver

Xander Schauffele has wasted little time in sticking the brand new Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond Driver in his bag at this week's Tournament of Champions at Kapalua in Hawaii, but he's decided to do something a little peculiar on the face of his new weapon of choice. 

Schauffele, who won this PGA Tour event in 2019, has decided to draw lines on the face of his new Paradym Triple Diamond Driver with a Sharpie pen.

The new driver of choice for the World No.6 is a club that GolfMagic's Equipment Editor Alex Lodge reviewed earlier this week. 

See the below snaps courtesy of GolfWRX on the range this week (click through the images to see the face of his driver covered in Sharpie lines): 

According to Schauffele's caddie Austin Kaiser, who spoke to GolfWRX, he said: "Xander likes to see the face so he added Sharpie lines (it's not paint!)"

Paint? What's all that about then?!

Some of you may recall Hideki Matsuyama got disqualified for something very similar at the Memorial Tournament last season.

The difference that time, however, was that Matsuyama had used white paint on the face of his fairway wood, which is deemed illegal under Rule 4.1a in the rules of golf. 

Watch what happened below, and scroll further down for the official comment on his ultimate DQ: 

Here's what chief PGA Tour referee Steve Rintoul had to say about the Matsuyama incident that week: 

"Unfortunately our committee learned right after Hideki teed off that he might be carrying a club that would be non-conforming," said Rintoul. 
"The pictures you can see on TV (see above), a substance has been applied to the face by a gentleman that works on one of Hideki's clubs, the white paint you see on the face.
"Rule 4.1a within the equipment rules speaks to applying substance to a face that could unduly affect the performance of a ball, the flight, the spin.
"Those markings were placed there by his club guy to help with alignment.
"Assistance with alignment by placing a small Sharpie mark on the face is certainly allowed, but what was done there with that substance which is very much like a white out substance we would use at home, it was a coding that was not only in the grooves but was very thick along the face so he has applied a substance to the face which renders the club as non-conforming. 
"Getting out of the equipment rules and back into the rules of golf, a player is disqualified if he uses a non-conforming club. You can carry a non-conforming club, just not use it under the new rules.
"So unfortunately we tried to get to Hideki early on when we first heard about this. We had one of our officials talk to Hideki on the 2nd hole. He was asked if he used the club, and the answer was unfortunately yes as he used it off the 1st tee. So that meant a disqualification.
"I'd be lying standing here and say these equipment rules can sometimes be very finicky and difficult, so our committee did our due diligence with the equipment standards guys from the USGA. 
"We just made sure we were not missing anything here and that nothing was on his club that would be okay for Hideki, but I met him on the 5th fairway and I spoke to the gentleman who applied the substance to the face of the club, and even though it was done for alignment purposes, it was excessive, it was a large amount of paint on the face and that could affect the performance of the ball. 
"If the paint had just been down in the bottom of the grooves it would have been okay, but because it was actually physically on the face of the club, that really became the problem for Hideki."

You've got to love the rules of golf sometimes!