Scottie Scheffler was among the players to question the decision not to allow preferred lies for the opening round at the PGA Championship, insisting it cost him shots at Quail Hollow. The PGA of America confirmed that it would not use preferred lies, which would allow players to lift, clean, and place their ball on the fairways, despite over three-and-a-half inches of rain in the days leading up to the second men’s major of the year.
Softer and wetter conditions increase the risk of ‘mud balls’, with Scheffler experiencing the impact of them when his and Xander Schauffele’s approaches at the par-four 16th – from the middle of the fairway – veered well off their projected target and into the water.
Scheffler bounced back from that subsequent double-bogey to salvage a two-under 69, leaving him within three strokes of early clubhouse leader Ryan Gerard, although he was frustrated that players were unable to place their ball.
“I kept the honor with making a double on a hole,” Scheffler said. “I think that will probably be the first and last time I do that in my career unless we get some crazy weather conditions.”
“It’s one of those deals where it’s frustrating to hit the ball in the middle of the fairway and get mud on it and have no idea where it’s going to go. But I don’t make the rules. I just have to deal with the consequences of those rules.”
“I did a good job of battling back today and not letting a bad break like that, which cost me a couple of shots, get to me.”
A fired-up Scheffler later added: “This is going to be the last answer that I give on playing it up [preferred lies] or down.”
It’s not like you’re playing out of thick rough or anything like that. So playing the ball up wouldn’t make much of a difference in terms of the quality of the lie. It’s more about the strategy and the conditions of the course overall.