The 2023 PGA Championship also led to a significant supplier controversy regarding driver testing. This last one hit home, especially for two of golf’s biggest stars—Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. Both players had their drivers deemed nonconforming by the United States Golf Association (USGA) before the tournament. The testing heavily focuses on the “characteristic time” of a club’s face. This feature plays into its spring-like quality, which helps to add substantial ball speed and therefore distance.
Rory McIlroy, who drove it for more than a year, was pretty sure that it would be ruled nonconforming someday. Those worries came to fruition when, during their testing, the USGA identified the club. McIlroy’s performance throughout the tournament was a demonstration of just how far-reaching the substance of the ruling went. In that opening round, he hit just four of 14 fairways. He adapted and switched to a new TaylorMade driver, improving his accuracy significantly in the third round, where he hit 13 of 14 fairways. Even with this change in mind, McIlroy continued to play poorly off the tee. He ended up tying for 43rd of the 74 players making the cut, hitting just seven fairways for the entire event.
By comparison, Scottie Scheffler, who went through the same intense scrutiny over his driver, was able to keep rolling. Just a few months later, he notched his third major title, winning the PGA Championship by a decisive five strokes. He edged out the likes of Harris English, Bryson DeChambeau, and Davis Riley. Even Scheffler voiced concerns that current testing regulations were not enough.
“That program is consistent with the same level of support that we provide to the PGA Tour as part of their regular program for driver testing,” – USGA
One USGA directive that received backlash from McIlroy and professional golfer Xander Schauffele was the decision to only test a small pool of players—around 50. Schauffele touched on the need for equitable testing across the whole field to ensure that competition remains fair.
“I think they should test everyone’s driver,” – Xander Schauffele
Schauffele added that the integrity of the tournament was calling for all players to be tested. His conversations with a rules official brought to light fears about uneven testing practices.
“If you don’t test everyone across the board I don’t think you’re protecting the whole field,” – Xander Schauffele
Scheffler meanwhile took to social media to air his criticism of the move, calling for tougher testing standards. He advocated completely revamping driver testing to make sure all participants are treated equitably.
“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,” – Scottie Scheffler
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