On Thursday at the PGA Championship, mud balls — the phenomenon in which soft course conditions cause mud to cake on the side of the golf ball, which can affect its flight when struck — took center stage.
Top players like Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler, who played in the early wave on Thursday, were upset by what they described as unfair breaks because of mud balls.
On the 16th hole, Scheffler hit an errant approach that led to a double bogey. He explained after his round that a mud ball was the cause, and he thinks the course conditions merited a decision to play preferred lies on Thursday — a decision which would have allowed players to lift, clean and place balls in the fairway without penalty.
“I understand how a golf purist would be, oh, play it as it lies,” Scheffler said. “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.”
Scottie Scheffler sounds off on mud balls at Quail Hollow
Schauffele was also a victim of a bad break from a mud ball on 16.
“It’s just unfortunate to be hitting good shots and to pay them off that way. It’s kind of stupid,” he said. “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.”
Perhaps anticipating potential criticism, the PGA of America issued a statement on Wednesday evening defending the decision to play the ball down.
“We do not plan to play preferred lies,” the statement said. “The playing surfaces are outstanding and are drying by the hour. We are mowing the fairways this evening. We are looking forward to an exciting opening round to the 107th PGA Championship.”
As the opening day wore on, however, it was clear that mud balls were becoming more of an issue. Eventually, ESPN broadcasters Curtis Strange and Scott Van Pelt discussed the situation.
“Padraig Harrington mentioned, leading up to today, this is the wettest golf course that he had ever seen,” Van Pelt said. “This is a man in his 50s who of course plays in Europe, so he’s seen wet golf courses.”
Van Pelt compared the conditions at Quail Hollow to a sponge that soaked up a spill but hadn’t been wrung out.
“It was that wet, and yes, the sun is out and yes, this golf course does drain well, and yes, we understand purists, Curtis, that say we don’t want a hand on a golf ball, play it as it lies,” Van Pelt continued. “But how do you react to the idea that you really shouldn’t be punished if you hit it square in the fairway and there’s a big old blob of mud on the ball?”
“Great argument, isn’t it?” Strange responded.
“I think so,” Van Pelt said. “I think it’s compelling.”
“From a player’s standpoint, it’s completely aggravating when you lose control of the golf ball in the air,” Strange said. “From the PGA standpoint, I think from the PGA of America, I think they thought there was enough grass on these fairways, thick enough, overseeded with rye, that they wouldn’t pick up mud.
“They were wrong, obviously, and I think they made a mistake. I think for one day, it’s OK to put it in your hand and put it on a tuft of grass and clean the ball.”
“It’s a decision for today, it’s a conversation that could certainly be had moving forward if they feel it’s necessary,” Van Pelt said.
“It’s a conversation to have, but it’s also a conversation to have because it could cost somebody the tournament,” Strange replied.
The PGA of America has yet to make any additional statements on course conditions, and the ball is set to be played down for the remaining rounds — something Schauffele is wary about.
“The mud balls are going to get worse,” he said. “They’re going to get worse as the plays 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. I mean, you just keep — I don’t know, maybe hit it a little bit lower off the tee, but then unfortunately, the problem with hitting it low off the tee is the ball doesn’t carry or roll anywhere, so then you sacrifice distance.
“It’s a bit of a crapshoot.”
Golf.com Editor
As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Issue, which debuted in February 2018. Her original interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.
