Pros sound off on PGA Championship rules decision. Fair or foul?

Check in to GOLF’s Tour Confidential every Sunday night for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport. This week, with the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club, we’ll hit one key topic every night.

Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele were not happy with the PGA of America’s decision to play the ball down instead of electing to use preferred lies during a semi-soggy first round of the PGA Championship on Thursday at Quail Hollow. “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,” said Scheffler, frustrated after he was dealt a few mud balls. What’s your take? Did the PGA of America get this one wrong? Or should players learn to deal with the conditions?

Josh Sens, senior writer (@JoshSens): I can appreciate the frustration, especially for a guy like Scheffler who hits so many fairways and deserves to be rewarded for it. But at the same time, if you’ve spent your whole life learning to control a golf ball, shouldn’t you also have had the time to learn how the ball reacts when there’s mud on it? “No whining” is an important rule in golf in general, and even more so for Tour pros. Take your breaks and play on.

Jack Hirsh, associate equipment editor (@JR_HIRSHey): I’m so sick of this fine line between unfair and too easy. I have no proof of this but I’m guessing guys missing shots wildly has more to do with the thought that the mud is going to affect the shot rather than the mud itself. I think if there was never preferred lies, no one would ever complain about it. I get it, these guys want to be in complete control, but that’s what the driving range is for. Golf is a game played outside, so in this country where the soil isn’t very sandy, you’re going to get mud balls. I really think that if pros stopped worrying about it over the ball, it would be less of an issue.

Josh Schrock, associate news editor (@Schrock_And_Awe): I think they got it right. Personally, I think playing preferred lies at a major would be pretty unbecoming. We talked to a number of players, including Jon Rahm, who said the course was in fine conditions and mud balls weren’t an issue. There was a lot of talk about what’s fair from Scottie and Xander, but you’re supposed to be able to overcome the “unfair” parts of golf to win major championships. What if they are on the bad end of a weather draw at The Open? You just have to roll with the punches, stomach some bad breaks and push through if you want to win major championships.

Sean Zak, senior writer (@Sean_Zak): I laughed out loud when the email came in Wednesday night, the PGA of America declaring their intentions to not play anything but normal golf in the first round. It felt a bit premature considering there was still some rain in the forecast that evening, but they took a stand, and it was the right one. Scottie and Xander may have the loudest voices in the room, but there were plenty of others who said Thursday’s setup was completely fine. If every player had a vote, this one is probably going in the direction opposite of our two stars. This game isn’t about perfect swings, perfect shots or perfect conditions. Take the good with the bad.

Jessica Marksbury, senior editor (@Jess_Marksbury): My colleagues are spot on. This is a major championship! The conditions are not ideal, but they are the same for everyone. The complaining sounds a lot like sour grapes. As ever, plenty of players still managed to post rounds under par.

James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): I thought yes. Nobody detests lift, clean and place more than I do, and, yes, I concede that golf is not a game of what happens but how you deal with it. But the mud balls that affected players today were neither fair nor equitable, and if a competition does not have to be fair or equitable, then why do we bother enforcing the rules at all?

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): I appreciate that James at least provided one dissenting voice here. Unfortunately I think he’s wrong and the rest of you are right. There has literally been one day of lift, clean, place in major championship history. It’s glass that should only be broken in case of emergency. I don’t think this was that.

But I think it’s worth noting that Scheffler’s answer on the subject was smart and reasonable; I didn’t see it as whining. It’s clearly something he’s thought a lot about and he made me think more about it, too. I appreciated him engaging with the issue. And it’s something reasonable people can disagree on. That’s the case here.