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With the first round of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow coming to a close, one thing is certain: many of the top-ranked players are unhappy.
It was not just Scottie Scheffler who complained about the PGA of America’s choice not to use preferred lies; World No. 3 Xander Schauffele also complained.
ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington tweeted after chatting with Schauffele.
“It was almost a penalty to hit in the fairway, to be honest,” Schauffele told Darlington.
I just talked to Xander Schauffele after the round, and he was definitely frustrated by the mud ball situation, particularly on the 16th hole: “It was almost a penalty to hit in the fairway, to be honest.”
More from Xander: “Everyone is getting a bit of a luck box with where it…
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) May 15, 2025
The reigning PGA and Open Championship winner did not stop there.
“Everyone is getting a bit of a luck box with where it ends up,” Schauffele continued. “For three or four holes in a row, I had mud on the top of my ball — and it just takes spin off. But when it’s on the sides of the balls, I mean, you’re just throwing up a prayer. You have no idea how much it’s going to move once it gets up in the air.”
He played alongside Scheffler and World No. 2 Rory McIlroy. All three made a double-bogey on the 16th hole Thursday.
Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images
Scheffler said choosing not to use a lift, clean, and place cost him a few shots. The top-ranked player does not usually get that blunt, but he spoke quite openly Thursday afternoon.
Team USA captain Keegan Bradley also shared sentiments similar to Schauffele’s about mudballs with Darlington.
“He said he knows they don’t like to ‘play it up’ (preferred lies) in Majors, but he felt like it was warranted today,” Darlington wrote. “It becomes too much about ‘luck’ when you have mud on your ball.”
The afternoon wave will get a better golf course as Quail Hollow continues to dry out from the massive rain it received earlier in the week. Despite getting over an inch since Monday and over five inches since May 3, the PGA of America said no to preferred lies Wednesday evening.
First round leader, Ryan Gerard, went low with a 5-under 66, and did not seem to have any issues with mud balls.
He did not mention the decision to prefer lies in his post-round presser.
However, the top-ranked guys still felt it necessary to complain, especially when playing for a major championship. Are their opinions valid? Should the PGA of America have used preferred lies in Round 1?
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