Scottie Scheffler wants rules changed after driver drama at PGA Championship

The new PGA champion has called on the governing bodies to act after non-conforming drivers became a focal point at Quail Hollow.

Scottie Scheffler says the rules have to be changed after revealing that he did have to make a switch to his driver ahead of the PGA Championship.

Driver testing became a huge talking point over the weekend when it was revealed that Rory McIlroy had been forced to swap out his gamer.

It then got more interesting on Sunday when defending champion Xander Schauffele let his feelings known while also hinting that tournament leader Scheffler had to do the same.

And while the World No.1, who went on to win the Wanamaker Trophy with a five-shot victory at Quail Hollow, was happy to confirm Schauffele’s implication, he isn’t quite as pleased about how the governing bodies go about it.  

“Driver testing is something that regularly happens on tour,” Scheffler said in his post-tournament press conference. “My driver did fail me this week.

“We had a feeling that it was going to be coming because I’ve used that driver for over a year. I was kind of fortunate for it to last that long, I felt like.”

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The PGA of America invited the USGA – which, alongside the R&A, sets all of the rules and parameters around golf equipment – to carry out tests at Quail Hollow, with approximately a third of the 156-man field’s drivers being checked to ensure they conformed to the equipment rules and limits.

“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 continued.

“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. 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.”

When asked if previous concerns about not getting the right preparation for the tournament were down to the driver, he added: “Oh, no. The driver for me is actually really easy.

“Like I said, we were prepared for it. 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.

“The team at TaylorMade, Adrian [Rietveld], did a really good job. Actually, the week of the Byron, we were really focused on getting it back up for that tournament and this one. Adrian 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.”

Like McIlroy, Scheffler uses the TaylorMade Qi10 driver – the brand’s 2024 model. Despite the late change to his equipment, Scheffler went on to seal his third major title at Quail Hollow. McIlroy finished T47 on 3-over-par after enduring a miserable four days off the tee.