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 played alongside Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy, who carded rounds of 71 and 74 respectively
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 honour 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. On a golf course as [well] conditioned as this one is, this is probably a situation in which it would be the least likely difference in playing it up.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Scheffler made an eagle at the par-five 15th hole at Quail Hollow
“Most of the lies you get out here are all really good. So I understand how a golf purist would be, ‘oh, play it as it lies’.
“But I don’t think they understand what it’s like literally working your entire life to learn how to hit a golf ball and control it and hit shots and control distance, and all of a sudden, due to a rules decision, that is completely taken away from us by chance.
“In golf, there’s enough luck throughout a 72-hole tournament that I don’t think the story should be whether or not the ball is played up or down. When I look at golf tournaments I want the purest, fairest test of golf, and in my opinion maybe the ball today should have been played up.
“I could have let that bother me today when you got a mud ball and it cost me a couple shots. It cost me possibly two shots on one hole, and if I let that bother me, it could cost me five shots the rest of the round.
“Today I was proud of how I stayed in there, didn’t let it get to me and was able to play some solid golf on a day in which I was a bit all over the place and still posted a score.”
Scheffler is looking to win a third major title and first outside of The Masters
Wednesday’s practice round was played under dry conditions and minimal rain is forecast over the rest of the tournament, with Ryan Fox impressed with how the course withstood the early-week weather.
“The golf course has dried out amazingly well,” Fox said after his four-under 67. “There’s going to be a few guys complaining about them, obviously, but I thought the golf course played really, really well considering how much rain we’ve had Monday, Tuesday this week.”
Watch the PGA Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues on Friday from 1pm on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with NOW.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
