PGA of America’s Quail Hollow Statement Will Affect PGA Championship

The PGA Championship is at Quail Hollow this week, but the track has received more than an inch of rain since Monday, and roughly five total inches of rain since May 3.

Because of that, the course is extremely soft, but the PGA of America announced Wednesday evening that it will be business as usual for Round 1.

“We do not plan to play preferred lies. The playing surfaces are outstanding and are drying by the hour. We are mowing the fairways this evening. We are looking forward to an exciting opening round to the 107th PGA Championship,” their statement said.

Multiple tournaments this year on the PGA Tour have chosen to play with preferred lies. At many of those events, players have gone on to shoot extremely low, including Jake Knapp’s 59 at the 2025 Cognizant Classic.

There have been four 61s on Tour in 2025 and 13 low rounds of 62.

Preferred lies or lift, clean and place, is a temporary rule that allows players to improve the position of their ball without penalty.

Mud on a ball can cause it to go sideways when struck, so this rule allows players to clean off the debris.

Fans and players want the toughest test for a major championship, and that usually does not include the preferred lie rule being in place. The PGA of America’s decision not to award this temporary rule for Round 1 suggests that they want to challenge the guys.

Granted, Quail Hollow is a lot like Augusta National. The course has a SubAir System that pulls moisture from the fairways and greens.

Will that system help with how much rain this track has gotten over the last few days? Time will tell, but regardless, there will be no preferred lies, so expect to hear “mud ball” a lot over the broadcast on Thursday.

More Golf: PGA Championship: All 156 Golfers Ranked by Best Shot at Quail Hollow