Schauffele’s drive appears to land in a viewer’s merchandise bag. It didn’t stop him from making par

By Canadian Press on April 9, 2026.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Maybe gift shopping really is out of control at the Masters.

Xander Schauffele’s tee shot on the par-5 eighth hole Thursday at Augusta National appeared to come to rest in somebody’s merchandise bag, just a few feet to the left of the fairway. Schauffele used a tee to mark the spot, removed the ball and then handed off the bag to a woman in a pink and white outfit.

He was able to play on without penalty and made par.

Schauffele finished the front nine in 1 under, but he had his shaky moments. His tee shot on the par-4 ninth ended up in some pine straw and his second shot found a bunker. Then he splashed out to within inches of the hole.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Noah Trister, The Associated Press

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