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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Matt Fitzpatrick labels US Open course 'UNFAIR' and claims golfers are being 'penalised too harshly' for bad shots after punishing three days at Oakmont
Matt Fitzpatrick has broken ranks to describe the US Open course as 'unfair' after three days of bogeys and bedlam at Oakmont Country Club. While the rest of the field has remained tight-lipped on whether the curators of this Pittsburgh layout have crossed a line with this test, the 2022 champion did not hold back. After closing with a double bogey for a 72, leaving the Englishman on nine over par for the tournament, Fitzpatrick told Mail Sport: 'I personally don't think it's fair. I think there's hard that's fair and there's just straight unfair. And I just think that this falls into that category, really. 'I just don't think it necessarily rewards good shots and I think it penalises bad shots too harshly.' He added: 'I have spoken a lot over the last few years about rough graduation, and you can be more penalised for hitting a shot one yard off the fairway, six inches off the fairway, than you can 40 yards off the fairway. 'When you've got the greens as extreme as these, it amplifies any miss. I get that it's the same for everyone and you have got hit good shots and obviously it always sounds like sour graves when a player complains. He believes golfers are not rewarded for good shots - and bad shots are penalised too badly 'I am a huge fan of the US Golf Association, I've played 11 US Opens now, and I feel like I've experienced what is hard and fair and what is hard and unfair over the course of my career now. I just feel like this falls into that category of unfair. 'I think Xander (Schauffele) said something great earlier this week. People watch the US Open to see us shoot eight over par and that's a good score - I completely agree with that. I love that. I think that's what makes it interesting from a normal week of shooting 25 under. '(But) I just feel like there's a line, you know, that could be very dangerous. I'm all for an over par winning score, but I think when you do have three guys under par after two rounds, I think that kind of tells you a lot about what the golf course is doing. 'It is a tough golf course, but I think I don't necessarily feel like it needed to be made more extreme than it is.' Fitzpatrick's view will doubtless be shared in the locker room at the business end of a week in which the world's elite have been pummelled by a combination of the rough and green speeds. Bryson DeChambeau's missed cut on 10 over is just one example, though the USGA are hardly known for their squeamishness in the face of criticism over a stiff test. Where the line should be drawn is matter of some debate, but when the course has averaged in excess of 900 bogeys of worse across the field per day, as it did in the first two rounds of gentle breezes, a question of fairness can be raised.
USA Today
19-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Scottie Scheffler confirms driver was deemed non-conforming: 'It's 'not that big a deal'
Scottie Scheffler confirms driver was deemed non-conforming: 'It's 'not that big a deal' Show Caption Hide Caption Scottie Scheffler credits team, family after PGA win Scheffler says strong support, family, and a simple life off the course keep him grounded and winning. PGA TOUR CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Scottie Scheffler won the 107th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club on Sunday but he did so without his gamer driver this week. During his winner's press conference, Scheffler confirmed that his TaylorMade driver was tested by the U.S. Golf Association on Tuesday and was deemed non-conforming. 'So the driver testing is something that regularly happens on Tour. My driver did fail me this week. We had a feeling that it was going to be coming because I've used that driver for over a year. I was kind of fortunate for it to last that long,' he said. 'With the amount of practice that I do, I felt like I was fortunate for it to last that long,' he said. 'The team at TaylorMade, Adrian, did a really good job — actually the week of the Byron (Nelson), we were really focused on getting a back up for that tournament and this one. Adrian, he did a great job getting me fit for a head. Like I said, we were really prepared. So it wasn't that big of a deal.' But Scheffler echoed sentiments shared by other players, including Xander Schauffele, that driver testing needs to be tweaked for the better. 'I would argue that if we're going to test the drivers, we need to be even more robust in the way we test them,' Scheffler said. 'That was a conversation I had with one of the rules officials; if it's something we're going to take seriously, I feel like we're almost going halfway with it right now. If we're going to test only a third of the field. If we're going to do it right, leave it up to us as players, like the rest of the rules in the game of golf are. 'It's a newer rule that we haven't quite gotten right yet. I think we have some stuff to figure out. I think, if we're going to do it, we might as well do it right, get more robust and get even more strict. You can test guys every week, if you want. I mean, there's no reason why we shouldn't.' The subject of driver testing became one of the stories of the championship when it was reported that Rory McIlroy had failed the driver test and that was the reason he switched heads before the first round. If he did fail a test, it would possibly explained why he struggled with the club that is usually one of his super powers. McIlroy and his representatives and TaylorMade officials declined to comment, with McIlroy electing not to speak to the media once the championship began. The USGA and PGA of America's lack of transparency on the subject did McIlroy no favors either. But Scheffler had no problem confirming an earlier report by Golfweek and declared it was no big deal.
