US Open faces same nightmare for golfers as USPGA after Scheffler frustration
The US Open lands at Oakmont Country Club later this week, but the course could be hit by adverse weather conditions which proved problematic for pros at the PGA Championship and the Masters
The US Open is gearing up for weather woes similar to those that disrupted the Masters and PGA Championship earlier this year, with concerns looming as the tournament approaches at Oakmont Country Club later this week. Rory McIlroy ended his major drought in style at Augusta earlier this year, clinching the Masters and rounding off his career Grand Slam.
Scottie Scheffler continued his winning streak a month later by securing victory at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, adding a third major title to his 2022 and 2024 Masters triumphs. However, both the Masters and the PGA Championship were marred by adverse weather conditions, leading to dreaded mud balls - a golfer's nightmare.
After his third round at Augusta in April, Jordan Spieth criticised the conditions for impacting his ball's trajectory and rotation. He said: "My iron play killed me the last two days and to be brutally honest with you, it was primarily mud balls.
"It's just so frustrating because you can't talk about them here. You're not supposed to talk about them. Mud balls can affect this tournament significantly, especially when you get them a lot on 11 and 13. They're just daggers on those two holes."
Rain once again played havoc at the PGA Championship, and while the forecast for the upcoming US Open looks hopeful, inclement weather this weekend and possible early-week showers in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, might thrust the issue of mud balls back into the spotlight, reports the Mirror US.
Golfers were left in the rough after 'preferred lies' were disallowed by the PGA of America at a recent event, and it seems the US Open will follow suit. Last month's USPGA winner, Scheffler, joined Spieth in sharing his chagrin with the ruling, saying: "I mean, I don't make the rules.
"I think when you're looking at the most authentic forms of golf, like when you're going to play links golf, there's no reason at all to play the ball on a link golf course. It doesn't matter how much rain falls.
"The course could be flooded with water, and somehow the ball is still going to bounce because of the way the turf is and the ground underneath. In American golf it's significantly different.
"When you have overseeded fairways that are not sand capped, there's going to be a lot of mud on the ball, and that's just part of it. When you think about the purest test of golf, I don't personally think that hitting the ball in the middle of the fairway you should get punished for.
"On a golf course as good of conditioned as this one is, this is probably a situation in which it would be the least likely difference in playing it up because 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.'"
Xander Schauffele also discussed the frustration of dealing with mud balls at the PGA Championship, adding: "All of us. I'm not the only guy.
"I'm just in front of the camera. I wouldn't want to go in the locker room because I'm sure a lot of guys aren't super happy with sort of the conditions there.
"I feel like the grass is so good, there is no real advantage to cleaning your ball in the fairway. The course is completely tipped out. It sucks that you're kind of 50/50 once you hit the fairway.
"It's just wherever it ends up on the ball. I got lucky three or four holes in a row where it ended up sort of on the top of my ball and then you're kind of guessing how much spin it's going to take off."
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