"Cry harder," "He's correct" - Fans divided over Scottie Scheffler's comment on preferred lies not being active in the PGA Championship

Scottie Scheffler teed off for his 10th start of the season at the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, where he previously played during the 2022 Presidents Cup. The World No.1 was grouped with Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele for the opening round on Thursday. However, their highly anticipated performance took a surprising turn at the par-4 16th.

All three players carded double bogeys on the 535-yard hole. Scheffler and Schauffele found the water on their second shots despite hitting from the fairway, both affected by mud on their balls. McIlroy slipped while playing from the rough and made a double bogey.

After the round, Scottie Scheffler shared his frustration with the PGA of America’s decision not to allow preferred lies in Round 1.

" I don't personally think that hitting the ball in the middle of the fairway you should get punished for...I want the purest, fairest test of golf, and in my opinion maybe the ball today should have been played up," he said (via NUCLR GOLF on X).

NUCLR Golf shared the quote on X, which led to mixed reactions online.

One user wrote:

"Cry harder"

While another said:

"He's correct."

Some disagreed with Scheffler:

"Learn to read kid"

Another chimed in:

"He acts like he's the only one getting mud balls lmao.. everyone has to play the same course."

Another user quoted Bobby Jones:

“Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots - but you have to play the ball where it lies.”

Another supported Scottie Scheffler's stance, writing:

"That was really well explained"

Scheffler’s round included birdies on holes 1, 7, 9, and 12, and an eagle on the par-5 15th. However, a bogey on 11 and the double on 16 brought him back. He closed the round with a 2-under 69.

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Scottie Scheffler carded a hole-in-one during his practice round at Quail Hollow

Scottie Scheffler made a hole-in-one during a practice round ahead of the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. In a video shared by Golf Digest, the World No.1 was seen hitting a shot with a ball speed of 118 mph. The ball reached 103 feet in the air before landing directly in the hole.

The commentator in the video noted that it was Scheffler’s first ace since the birth of his son, Bennett, on May 8, 2024.

The 28-year-old arrives at Quail Hollow in strong form. He recently won the CJ CUP Byron Nelson, where he shot an 8-under 63 in the final round. This season, he has played nine events, with one win, one runner-up finish at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, and six top-10 finishes.