Masters 2026: Watch this Xander Schauffele tee shot somehow end up in a patron’s shopping bag
Andrew Redington
Xander Schauffele seems to have misunderstood the term, “He’s got it in the bag.” Or at the very least, he’s taking it a bit too literally at Augusta National.
The two-time major champ somehow found the bottom of a patron’s shopping bag on the par-5 8th hole after an up-and-down start to his Masters on Thursday. It was his first missed fairway of the day, and he was eventually granted relief from the fan's merchandise haul.
“Don’t think you can buy that at the merchandise shop!” the commentary team quipped. “That’s a first for me, Shane. A patron came for the gnome, left with Xander’s golf ball.”
There’s been quite a hullabaloo regarding the Masters merch this year. Are people too focused on the gnomes? Is the commercialization of the tournament overshadowing the actual golf? In a funny way, Schauffele's errant tee shot sums up that very paradox.
Thankfully, Schauffele managed to escape with a par. He’s not going to let the Masters merch lunacy get in the way of the golf. Let that be a lesson to us all.
