Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Xander Schauffele were expected to be the main group to watch at the PGA Championship on Thursday, but their performance on the 16th hole at Quail Hollow quickly dispelled that expectation.
All three top-ranked players in the world faced struggles on the 535-yard, par-4 hole. Scheffler and Schauffele both found the water with their approach shots, while dealing with mud on their golf balls. McIlroy, meanwhile, struggled with the wet conditions, slipping while hitting from a sidehill lie in the deep rough.
The trio left the green individually, clearly frustrated and ready to move on from the challenging hole.
McIlroy’s troubles started early, as he hooked his tee shot left and watched the ball roll down a steep embankment, landing in deep rough near the water. From there, McIlroy was left with a difficult stance in the mud. As he tried to hit, his back foot slipped, and he was fortunate to make contact with the ball. His approach from 181 yards sailed right of the green, and after chipping over a bunker, he two-putted for a 6.
Scheffler and Schauffele faced similar struggles. Both hit solid drives down the middle of the fairway and looked set for birdie, especially with the tough Green Mile closing holes ahead of them. However, muddy conditions led both players to hit their approach shots into the water on the left side of the green. After taking drops, they faced uphill lies and overhit their shots, needing two putts to finish. Scheffler managed to save double bogey with a 7-foot putt.
This grouping of the world’s top three players is a rare occurrence at the PGA Championship, marking the first time since 2022 that the Nos. 1, 2, and 3 players have played together at the start of the tournament.
Scheffler, in particular, had a turbulent start, carding an eagle, birdie, par, bogey, and double bogey on his first seven holes after beginning his round on No. 10. Before Thursday, Scheffler had never made a double bogey or worse in the first round of a major championship.
