Latest news with #mudballs
The Independent
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Xander Schauffele ends US PGA title defence complaining about conditions
Xander Schauffele ended the defence of his US PGA Championship as he started it, making a double bogey on the 16th hole and complaining about conditions. Schauffele and 54-hole leader Scottie Scheffler were the two highest-profile players to speak out about the decision not to allow preferred lies in Thursday's first round, despite torrential rain disrupting practice earlier in the week. Both men blamed 'mud balls' for hooking their second shots to the 16th into the water in round one and the same hole cost Schauffele another six on Sunday, although this time his ire was directed at the 17th instead. 'After kind of a decent round going, the goal was to try to backdoor a top 10,' said the Open champion, who had covered his first 15 holes in five under par, including a chip-in eagle on the eighth. 'I got greedy on 16, that one was on me. No mud on that ball unfortunately. Hit that in the water (from a fairway bunker). 'Then 17 is a pretty ridiculous set-up today. That will be one to keep an eye on. You have, I don't know, like a 10-foot window to land it to keep it somewhere like pin high.' After dropping a shot on the 17th Schauffele did at least birdie the 18th to complete a 68, his only sub-par round of the week. 'Yeah, I'd like to keep it going,' Schauffele said. 'If we had four more days stacked up right now, I feel like I'd have a pretty good chance. 'Just kind of was in better form, and then I had a few things go awry in my swing and made my approach play pretty bad. Just kind of lost control of the golf ball there midweek, unfortunately. 'Just didn't have enough to score well, but I feel like I'm playing a lot better than what I'm doing. So just got to hang tough.' Scheffler took a three-shot lead over Sweden's Alex Noren into the final round and after both men bogeyed the opening hole, Scheffler bounced back with a birdie on the second to extend his advantage. Masters champion Rory McIlroy had earlier completed a final round of 72 to finish three over par and declined to speak to the media for the fourth day in succession.
The Guardian
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Entitlement of Scottie Scheffler and rest of elite risks turning off golfing public
Mud balls. Hardly a provocative topic in the grand scheme of life. A chunk of soil attaches itself to a golf ball, meaning the individual hitting said object has less control than they would like. Scottie Scheffler and others believe the element of chance created by mud balls at the US PGA Championship is unbefitting of a major. There is an opposing view, one which says golf is not supposed to be perfect or fair. It's a run-of-the-mill sporting debate. Scheffler had volunteered his own mud ball situation as rationale for a shot that flew into water on the 16th hole during round one at Quail Hollow. Within only three more questions, the world No 1 wanted to shut the conversation down. 'By the way, this is going to be the last answer that I give [on this subject],' Scheffler began. Scheffler, once such a placid soul, was dictating what he may and may not be asked. About golf balls. Twelve months ago Scheffler was more expansive on the ludicrous situation that saw him thrown into a police cell before his US PGA second round. A self-deprecating, non-accusatory and considerate Scheffler earned widespread plaudits for the way he handled a road traffic farrago. Yet 12 months is a long time in golf; the past year has seen relations between players and the media strain to a fascinating point. Golfers generally live a charmed life when it comes to coverage. That much was evident when a batch of them departed traditional tours for the Saudi Arabian-backed LIV equivalent. Criticism, occasionally vehement and personal, rattled those on the receiving end because this was uncharted territory. They should try being Premier League footballers for a week; front pages, back pages, everything in between. A snapshot of this placid environment can be found all the way back in 2005. Tiger Woods revealed he had been especially pensive during two minutes of silence at the Open Championship because his mother had been in a hotel close to where one of the previous week's London bombs had gone off. The next question put to Woods went thus: 'How many holes here today do you think you hit with a wedge into a green after a drive?' The four horsemen of the apocalypse looked less vengeful than journalists with an element of news sense who wanted to extract further information about Kultida Woods's situation. Collin Morikawa escalated the more recent theme after explaining his failure to stop for media duties having tossed away the Arnold Palmer Invitational. 'I don't owe anyone anything,' said Morikawa. There will be no argument from the latest breed of golf agents, too many of whom are either terrified of their clients or fail to recognise what a positive or interesting media profile can return. Unlike in other American sports, golfers have no contractual obligation to speak to the press upon completion of rounds. Morikawa was well within his rights to walk on at Bay Hill but had to do a better job of explaining why. Golf, and partly the schism in elite golf, has made the likes of Morikawa filthy rich. That plus reams of talent of course. With that status comes entitlement. A harsh reality is Morikawa – the fourth-ranked player on the planet, a two-time major winner – and umpteen others on the Quail Hollow leaderboard could walk the streets in the world's major cities without those beyond dedicated golf fans turning heads. This anonymity is great for the players – Woods never had it – but speaks to their lack of wider appeal. One European Ryder Cup player once bemoaned the fact his finest ever year on the PGA Tour would not have ranked him among the top 50 paid players in Major League Baseball. I responded by stressing his ability to go about his life in peace and quiet as a polite way of saying: 'Nobody knows who you are.' Shane Lowry, who gives time and thought to media appearances, objected to being asked about Rory McIlroy in the immediate aftermath of a poor finish to round three at the Masters. The question was indeed clumsy and ill-timed. Lowry suggested golfers should be allowed to go away and compose themselves before appearing in front of a camera. Tennis players are often afforded such leeway. There are obvious flaws with the plan; for journalists on deadlines, for those wanting the verbal sparks that can fly straight from the course and on the basis golfers could just slip off before paying any paltry fine which arises as a penalty. Lowry did not talk after the Truist Championship slipped from his grasp last weekend, which was fair enough. The media would have been imposing on personal grief. The same applies to McIlroy at last summer's US Open. McIlroy's Masters triumph was a necessary plot twist not only for the man himself but his sport. Fiscal vulgarity had turned the public – who participate in golf to a record level – away from the elite game. Scheffler and co should remember that when seeking to dictate terms of engagement.
The Independent
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Why ‘mud balls' are angering the world's best players at PGA Championship
World number one Scottie Scheffler hit out at the decision not to allow preferred lies, saying 'mud balls' cost him two shots in the first round of the US PGA Championship. Despite torrential rain disrupting practice rounds on Monday and Tuesday, tournament organisers opted not to allow players to "lift, clean and place" balls in the fairway at Quail Hollow. That raised the prospect of more complaints about "mud balls", as voiced by Jordan Spieth at last month's Masters, and they duly arrived after Scheffler completed an opening 69. Scheffler and defending champion Xander Schauffele both double-bogeyed the 16th after seeing their second shots veer well off target and into the water left of the green. The final member of the marquee group, Masters champion Rory McIlroy, avoided the water but also made a double bogey and Scheffler joked: "I kept the honour with making a double on a hole. "And 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." Scheffler later emphasised his unhappiness with the situation when he was asked whether he thought the PGA of America had considered allowing preferred lies. "By the way, this is going to be the last answer that I give on playing it up (preferred lies) or down," Scheffler said. "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 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'. "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." Schauffele also expressed his frustration with the conditions and predicted the problem would only get worse. "It sucks that you're kind of 50/50 once you hit the fairway," Schauffele said. "The mud balls are going to get worse as the place dries up. They're going to get in that perfect cake zone to where it's kind of muddy underneath and then picking up mud on the way through. "Maybe [you can] hit it a little bit lower off the tee, but then the ball doesn't carry or roll anywhere, so then you sacrifice distance. It's a bit of a crapshoot."
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
What is a mud ball? Scheffler frustrated at PGA Championship
The world's best golfers began the PGA Championship on Thursday, but the main talking point coming out of Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, United States, was a bit number one Scottie Scheffler spoke about the issue on Thursday, but what exactly is a mud ball? What is a mud ball and why does it matter? A mud ball is actually quite self-explanatory - it's when golf balls get covered in mud and dirt during bad might not sound too important, but it can greatly affect the flights and trajectory of balls, often causing them to spin most golf tournaments preferred lies are in place, a rule that permits players to lift, clean, and place their ball within a specified distance of its original position on closely mown areas, generally during periods of adverse at majors like the PGA, the introduction of preferred lies is at the discretion of tournament organisers. What happened at the PGA? Quail Hollow was hit by heavy rain on Monday and Tuesday and while most of the course was in good condition on Thursday, the 16th hole caused serious problems for the best players in the number one Scheffler and world number three Xander Schauffele picked up mud on their balls, before both pulled their approach shots to the green well wide and into the water. Both carded double unlikely either would have made that mistake under normal is tied 20th in the standings on -2 after day one, while Schauffele is tied 60th on + Open champion McIlroy is down in joint-98th on +3. What did the players say? Both Scheffler and Schauffele voiced their frustrations at the PGA of America's decision not to allow 'preferred lies' on Thursday."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," Scheffler said."I understand it's part of the game, but there's nothing more frustrating for a player. You spend your whole life trying to learn how to control a golf ball, and due to a rules decision all of a sudden you have absolutely no control over where that golf ball goes."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 shots, get to me. Did a good job battling after that and posting a decent score." What did the PGA say? The PGA of America decided against introducing preferred lies after weather conditions improved."We do not plan to play preferred lies. The playing surfaces are outstanding and are drying by the hour. We are mowing the fairways this evening," read a statement published on Wednesday evening."We are looking forward to an exciting opening round to the 107th PGA Championship."It has not responded to Scheffler's comments.
Fox News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Scottie Scheffler uncharacteristically upset over PGA Championship rules decision
Scottie Scheffler, the world's top-ranked golfer, appeared to turn some heads at the PGA Championship Thursday. The normally even-keeled and quiet golfer took exception to the PGA of America's decision not to play lift, clean, place for the first round of the PGA Championship at the soggy Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. The PGA of America is the governing body of the tournament, which is the second major of the season. On Wednesday, the organization released a statement saying it would "play the ball down, as it lies." The announcement came after the course was doused with several inches of rain before the first round. Several players were effectively forced to contend with what is often referred to as "mud balls," making the trajectory of hit balls less manageable. Scheffler hit a tee shot to the middle of the fairway on hole No. 16, and the shot hooked to the left and went into the water for a double bogey. "This is going to be the last answer that I give on playing it up or down,'' Scheffler said. "I mean, I don't make the rules. I think when you're looking at the purest forms of golf, like if you're going to go play links golf, there's absolutely no reason on a links golf course you should play the ball up. It doesn't matter how much rain they get. The course could be flooded underwater, and the ball is still going bounce somehow because of the way the turf is and the ground underneath the turf. "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." Scheffler acknowledged the position "a golf purist" would likely take, but the two-time Masters winner suggested the rule decision created unforeseen conditions for competitors. "On a golf course as good of condition 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. "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. Scheffler rallied from the tough break on the 16th hole and finished Thursday 2-under par. Ryan Gerard was at the top of the leaderboard Thursday evening. The PGA Championship continues Friday. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
