NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
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The only thing that got more headlines at the PGA Championship than Scottie Scheffler’s victory was equipment testing that forced a number of players to have to replace their drivers at Quail Hollow.
Scheffler was one of those players who had to swap in a new head for his TaylorMade Qi10 driver after his failed the USGA’s CT (Characteristic Time) test that measures spring-like effect, which can increase over time as the face gets thinner after repeated use. The world No. 1 was prepared for the change by getting a backup dialed in at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, where he tied the PGA Tour 72-hole scoring record in winning.
“I had used my driver for over a year. With the amount of practice that I do, I felt like I was fortunate for it to last that long,” said Scheffler, who hit 35 of 56 fairways and finished eighth in strokes gained off the tee at the PGA. “The team at TaylorMade … did a really good job. Actually, the week of the Byron we were really focused on getting a backup for that tournament and this one. Adrian (Rietveld, TaylorMade senior tour manager), he did a great job getting me fit for a head. Like I said, we were really prepared. So it wasn’t that big of a deal.”
Scheffler has some thoughts about the driver testing rules, which also reportedly flagged Rory McIlroy’s TaylorMade Qi10 driver ahead of the PGA. McIlroy did not confirm the report and declined to speak to the media after all four tournament rounds.
“I would argue that if we’re going to test the drivers, we need to be even more robust in the way we test them,” Scheffler said. “That was a conversation I had with one of the rules officials. If it’s something we’re going to take seriously, I feel like we’re almost going halfway with it right now.
“If we’re going to test only a third of the field. If we’re going to do it right, leave it up to us as players, like the rest of the rules in the game of golf are. It’s a newer rule that we haven’t quite gotten right yet. I think we have some stuff to figure out. I think, if we’re going to do it, we might as well do it right, get more robust and get even more strict. You can test guys every week, if you want. I mean, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t.”
The PGA of America released a statement from Kerry Haigh, chief championships officer, on Saturday about the on-site testing process but did not mention any player by name:
“That testing program is consistent with the same level of support that the USGA provides to the PGA Tour and other championships, as part of their regular programs for driver testing. The standard process is for about a third of the field to be randomly tested under the program. That was the case at Quail Hollow this week.
“Finding driver heads that have crept over the line of conformance is not an unusual occurrence, especially for clubs that are hit thousands of times over a long period of time. The results are kept confidential to protect players, who are unaware the club has fallen out of conformance and [are] not responsible for it falling out of conformance other than hitting the club thousands of times. Players are simply asked to change heads if necessary, and all do without issue.”
Aside from the new driver head, Scheffler made one other switch in his winning setup at Quail Hollow, opting to use a TaylorMade Qi35 7-wood at 21 degrees instead of his Srixon ZU85 3-iron. Scheffler felt the conditions at Quail Hollow required a tweak.
“The golf course is going to play really long, the rough is thick, and the run-up areas after this kind of rain are going to be really soft, and the greens are still going to be really firm because they’re new," Scheffler said during his pre-tournament press conference. “You have to be able to land the ball up on the green. You can’t really run it up around this golf course. That’s one aspect that you've got to think about.”
Rietveld made the 7-wood more upright than it was when Scheffler played it at Torrey Pines earlier this season to get the club to sit squarer at address. The spec of his 7-wood is built closer to a 5-wood spec to properly gap with his 3-wood. Launching about 1.5 to 2 degrees higher than his 3-iron with about 1,500 more RPM of spin, Scheffler’s self-dubbed “high one” launched at 14.9 degrees at 5,175 RPM carrying 245 yards at 160 mph ball speed.
Scott Michaux