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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Xander Schauffele has some strong opinions on driver testing at major championships.
“I think they should test everyone’s driver,” he told Golfweek after his PGA Championship title defense came to a conclusion with a final-round 68 to finish in red figures at 1-under 283. “It’s not right to just test 50 guys. It just doesn’t make sense if you’re in it for the spirit (of the game). The whole point of it is to protect the integrity of the field. If you don’t test everyone across the board I don’t think you’re protecting the whole field.”
Schauffele’s driver was deemed non-conforming at the 2019 British Open and he had to scramble to find a comfort level with his backup.
“That pissed me off,” he said.
Driver testing became a hot topic at this week's 107th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club as the USGA confirmed it had representatives testing one-third of the 156-man field this week. It has been reported that the driver of Masters champion Rory McIlroy failed the test and he was forced to use a backup head. McIlroy hit just four fairways in the first round and ranked T152 through 36 holes. He was slightly better on the weekend but the top-ranked driver of the ball hit the short grass on only 26 of 56 tee shots or less than half of the time.
McIlroy declined to speak to the media after shooting 1-over 72 on Sunday for the fourth straight day and has refused to confirm if the reason he changed his driver to a backup model was due to it being declared non-conforming. The USGA and PGA stayed true to its policy of not disclosing the names of players who failed the test.
According to Schauffele, McIlroy wasn’t alone. He was under the impression that world No. 1 and 54-hole PGA leader Scottie Scheffler failed this week’s driver test, too.
“I think Scott is winning the tournament and I think he switched to his backup too,” Schauffele said.
When a reporter expressed surprise at that revelation, Schauffele added, “See you don’t even know because he’s so good. We can deal with it because the (equipment) reps are so good now.”
As for testing the entire field, Schauffele reiterated that it should be the same as drug testing.
“Do it to everybody, not just a third of the guys and if a player has a hot driver they’re still playing the tournament,” Schauffele said. “Just my take.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Xander Schauffele hints Scottie Scheffler failed driver testing at PGA
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“I think they should test everyone’s driver,” he told Golfweek after his PGA Championship title defense came to a conclusion with a final-round 68 to finish in red figures at 1-under 283. “It’s not right to just test 50 guys. It just doesn’t make sense if you’re in it for the spirit (of the game). The whole point of it is to protect the integrity of the field. If you don’t test everyone across the board I don’t think you’re protecting the whole field.”
Schauffele’s driver was deemed non-conforming at the 2019 British Open and he had to scramble to find a comfort level with his backup.
“That pissed me off,” he said.
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Driver testing became a hot topic at this week's 107th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club as the USGA confirmed it had representatives testing one-third of the 156-man field this week. It has been reported that the driver of Masters champion Rory McIlroy failed the test and he was forced to use a backup head. McIlroy hit just four fairways in the first round and ranked T152 through 36 holes. He was slightly better on the weekend but the top-ranked driver of the ball hit the short grass on only 26 of 56 tee shots or less than half of the time.
McIlroy declined to speak to the media after shooting 1-over 72 on Sunday for the fourth straight day and has refused to confirm if the reason he changed his driver to a backup model was due to it being declared non-conforming. The USGA and PGA stayed true to its policy of not disclosing the names of players who failed the test.
According to Schauffele, McIlroy wasn’t alone. He was under the impression that world No. 1 and 54-hole PGA leader Scottie Scheffler failed this week’s driver test, too.
“I think Scott is winning the tournament and I think he switched to his backup too,” Schauffele said.
When a reporter expressed surprise at that revelation, Schauffele added, “See you don’t even know because he’s so good. We can deal with it because the (equipment) reps are so good now.”
As for testing the entire field, Schauffele reiterated that it should be the same as drug testing.
“Do it to everybody, not just a third of the guys and if a player has a hot driver they’re still playing the tournament,” Schauffele said. “Just my take.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Xander Schauffele hints Scottie Scheffler failed driver testing at PGA
Continue reading...
