CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Several days of inclement weather will not keep the PGA of America from beginning the PGA Championship on Thursday adhering to the strictest rule in golf: play the ball as it lies.
There will be no preferred lies or “lift, clean and place,” as might otherwise be expected given the amount of rainfall the area has received including the Quail Hollow Club.
“We do not plan to play preferred lies,” the PGA of America said in a statement Wednesday night. “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.”
The club has a SubAir system under the greens which means it can extract moisture from the putting surfaces.
That meant the oddity of soft fairways and rather firm greens. “You’re hitting from very wet turf and still seeing the ball bounce a good bit on the greens,’’ said Tony Finau.
The Charlotte area was dealing with drought conditions not long ago but has endured five inches of rain since May 3. It had an inch on Sunday and another half inch on Tuesday after a steady downpour Monday closed the course to spectators.
There is a chance for brief showers Thursday morning and then the forecast calls for no more rain until the possibility of showers on Saturday.
Meanwhile, temperatures are expected to rise into the mid-to-upper 80s for Thursday and Friday.
If there is standing water, players can request relief to dry land but generally will be required to play the ball as it is. Under local rules that are part of the rules of golf, a committee can choose to use preferred lies based on playing conditions. Players typically complain about mud accumulating on a golf ball that rolls through a wet fairway. That can very often alter the flight of the ball.
The PGA Tour frequently employs preferred lies as a matter of expediency on a week-to-week basis after heavy rain but it rarely happens at major championships. The Masters and U.S. Open have never been known to invoke the local rule and the British Open courses drain very well due to a sandy soil base.
The PGA Championship invoked preferred lies during the fourth round of a rain-soaked tournament in 2016 at Baltusrol won by Jimmy Walker.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Despite Heavy Rains, PGA Championship Officials Will Not Change Rules.