Quail Hollow’s 16th hole trips up world’s top three golfers at PGA Championship

The leaderboard at the 2025 PGA Championship is a head-scratcher for some, but Quail Hollow Club’s challenge could be summed up perfectly by one hole the top three golfers in the world all struggled with during Thursday’s opening round. 

Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlory and Xander Schauffele are ranked one through three in the Official World Golf Ranking, respectively, and they all finished with a double bogey on the par-4, 535-yard 16th hole in their opening rounds. 

Their trouble with the hole was on full display as a featured group for the start of the tournament, and McIlroy fired his tee shot to the left, which is an area to avoid due to water. The rough caught his ball, but an awkward lie didn’t allow him to get the ball more than 20 yards into the fairway. 

From there, McIlroy’s approach missed the green to the right, and the back left pin didn’t make it easy to stick it close to walk away with a bogey. He had a 12-foot putt to walk away with a five, but he missed and made double instead. 

Scheffler and Schauffele had better luck off the tee, but they both struggled to find the green in regulation. With water around it, they both found the bottom with their approach shots that went too far. 

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Both players dropped in the penalty area to continue the hole, and, again, the location was treacherous for all golfers and made it difficult to get it close. Scheffler had 52 feet to card a bogey, but he hit in a seven-footer to make a double. Then, Schauffele two-putted from about 34 feet. 

Scheffler fared better than McIlroy and Schauffele, finishing his opening round tied for 19th at 2-under. Schauffele walked into the clubhouse at 1-over after 18 holes, while McIlroy, winner of the Masters in April, was 3-over after shooting a 74. 

After his round, Scheffler told reporters the dreaded “mud ball” was the cause of his 16th hole mishap. 

“It’s one of those deals where it’s frustrating to hit the ball in the middle of the fairway and get mud on it and have no idea where it’s going to go,” he told reporters. “I understand it’s part of the game, but there’s nothing more frustrating for a player. 

“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. But I don’t make the rules. I just have to deal with the consequences of those rules.”

The three weren’t the only top golfers struggling to figure out Quail Hollow Thursday. Bryson DeChambeau (1-over), Max Homa (2-over), Jordan Spieth (3-over) and Brooks Koepka (4-over) were all struggling to find a groove. Phil Mickelson even carded an 8-over 79, which will be virtually impossible to get down before the cut Friday. 

Not everyone had the same experience. American Ryan Gerard was leading for most of the day after shooting a 5-under 66. Australian Cam Davis matched him, walking into the clubhouse with the same score, though he could’ve led at 6-under if not for a bogey on the final hole. 

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