&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Augusta Masters Shot of the Day | WATCH - Xander Schauffele lands ball in shopping bag on eighth hole")
The Masters 2026 has started with defending champions Rory McIlroy in the lead after Thursday's (Apr 9) Round 1 at Augusta National course in Georgia, USA. The shot of the day, however, was made by Xander Schauffele, who literally bagged it. Playing on the eight hole in the front-nine, Schauffele hit the ball right into a patron's shopping bag, which eventually was a lucky break for him as he made par on the hole before finishing 2-under 70 for the day.
Xander Schauffele bags the ball, literally
Getting ready for the tee on eighth, a par-5 hole, Schauffele hit the ball well but it got lost behind a tree or that's what he thought. Once the golfer made his way to where he thought the ball has landed, it was nowhere to be found. The ball, instead, landed into a shopping bag full of merchandise, held by a patron. The golfer had to tee again and he was happy to do so. "It just flew straight into the bag. It was a great break. That bounce would've put me in the pine straw and who knows if I would've had a shot to hit up the hill. So thanks to the lady on No. 8,” he said about the shot. Have a look at it:
The five-time major champion from Northern Ireland pitched to three feet and tapped in for birdie at the par-five second hole but left a nine-foot par putt hanging on the edge to bogey the third. McIlroy answered with a tap-in birdie at the eighth after reaching the green in two then made an eight-foot birdie putt at the ninth. He eventually finished at 5-under 67, at the top alongside Sam Burns.
"I settled into the round really nicely," McIlroy said. "I started to find my game a bit on the back. When I was missing tee shots on the front nine, I kept swinging away. Felt sooner or later I would find it, and I did. Found it at the eighth hole and played well from there."
