The 30-year-old's three-over 73 left him 10 strokes behind the first-round leader, fellow American Taylor Moore, who had an eagle on the 18th on his way to a 63.
Schauffele, the 2024 PGA Championship and British Open winner, found that his wayward tee shot on the par-four ninth at Narashino Country Club had wedged itself among tree roots.
He attempted twice to hit the ball but failed to dislodge it and looked set to take a third swipe at it before shaking his head, laughing and opting to take a penalty drop for an unplayable lie.
"I wanted to take a photo of it almost, how bad it was," he said.
"For me to think I can do anything definitely got me in a hole there.
"I should have just taken an unplayable, but I was an idiot and tried to hit it.
This story is from the October 25, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the October 25, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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