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CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Mud Balls!
Like divot holes, the curious and the most unfair part of the game of golf.
And neither are avoidable with any certainty.
On Thursday, during the first round of the PGA Championship, the age-old debate over whether to play the ball down or not was a highlight of the post-round comments from players, both successful and unsuccessful.
With roughly four inches of rain falling on Quail Hollow from last Friday to Wednesday, the course was, to a man, sloppy to play on.
But instead of using prudence, the officials of the PGA went for the jugular and left the ball down.
“I feel like the grass is so good, there is no real advantage to cleaning your ball in the fairway, the course is completely tipped out,” Defending Champion Xander Schauffele said of playing the ball down. “It sucks that your kind of 50/50 once you hit the fairway.”
Both Schauffele and Scotti Scheffler were in the middle of the fairway on the difficult par 4 16th hole, with mid-irons in their hands, and both had mud balls they couldn’t control and found the water and two double bogeys.
“I think everybody was surprised, feel like we just played two practice rounds, hitting our casual walk for two days, and then they said it was, it was just going to be playing the ball down,” Tommy Fleetwood said of the decision. “There was a few but it wasn't horrific to be fair.”
World No.1 Scheffler questioned the luck factor when the ball is played down in conditions that create abnormal mud balls.
“In golf, there's enough luck throughout a 72-hole tournament that I don't think the story should be whether or not the ball is played up or down,” Scheffler said. “When I look at golf tournaments, I want the purest, fairest test of golf, and in my opinion, maybe the ball today should have been played up.”
Clearly, with over 45 players shooting under par, the mud ball issue was not as critical, but Friday may be more acute.
“The mud balls are going to get worse; they're going to get worse as the plays dries up,” Schauffele said. “They're going to get in that perfect cake zone, to where it's kind of muddy underneath, and then picking up mud on the way through. I mean, you just keep -- I don't know, maybe it hit it a little bit lower off the tee, but then unfortunately the problem with hitting it low off the tee is the ball doesn't carry or roll anywhere, so then you sacrifice distance. It's a bit of a crapshoot.”
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Biggest impact of Josh Naylor trade may still be to come
While the Seattle Mariners landed an impact bat on Thursday night, their trade for Josh Naylor has also likely impacted the entire upcoming MLB trade deadline. On Thursday, Seattle sent a pair of top pitching prospects to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Naylor, with left-hander Brandyn Garcia (ranked as Seattle's 13th-best prospect by MLB.com) and right-hander Ashton Izzi (ranked as Seattle's 16th-best prospect by the same rankings) heading to the desert. Knowing what the Diamondbacks received in exchange for Naylor could well set the market for what is to come between now and the conclusion of the 2025 MLB trade deadline, set for 6 p.m. (Eastern) on July 31. The 28-year-old first baseman was ranked by The Athletic as the 17th-best trade candidate likely to be available, but ranked behind just one other first baseman (Baltimore's Ryan O'Hearn, who was slotted in at 16th). If Naylor brought in a pair of pitching prospects, including Garcia, who has appeared in two games this season for Seattle, the Diamondbacks could be salivating over what third baseman Eugenio Suarez and his 36 home runs could bring in return. All MLB teams who will be buying or selling at this year's trade deadline have had the first price bar set for them with the Naylor deal. Now it will be fascinating to see what comes next, especially knowing that Naylor will be a free agent at the end of this season. If Seattle gave up two pitching prospects for a player who could be a late-season rental only, imagine what the Minnesota Twins may be able to recoup for starting pitcher Joe Ryan (under team control through the 2027 season) or the Boston Red Sox might get back for outfielder Jarren Duran, who won't be a free agent until the 2029 campaign. While Naylor may not be the biggest move to come during this span before the trade deadline comes to a close, his deal could be the one that establishes selling prices for the trades that are to come. With so few MLB teams expected to be outright sellers, the price for available talent was expected to be high. We learned on Thursday night with the Naylor swap just how high those prices may go.
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Mariners may have a backup plan for third base in mind
The Seattle Mariners reportedly regard Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez as their top trade target. However, the Mariners may have a backup plan in mind. According to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, the Mariners are among several teams interested in Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon. Although McMahon does not have the type of firepower offensively that Suarez possesses, he has been a solid hitter in his own right. He has shaken off a dreadful start to the season to post a .246/.332/.472 batting line in 280 plate appearances since May 1, hitting 14 homers and 12 doubles. McMahon does have his advantages. He is one of the best defensive third basemen in the game, having saved 17 runs at the hot corner since the start of the 2024 season. Suarez, meanwhile, has cost the Diamondbacks four runs defensively in the same timeframe. While Suarez would be a rental option as he is scheduled for free agency once the season concludes, McMahon is signed through 2027 on a reasonably affordable contract. He is due $16M in 2026 and 2027 over the final two years of the six-year, $70M extension he signed ahead of the 2022 season. The Mariners are also reportedly willing to increase their payroll, making a potential deal easier. The big question is whether or not the Rockies will actually unload players at the deadline. The Rockies are reportedly willing to trade McMahon, although past deadlines make that assertion somewhat dubious. Should Suarez be traded ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, the Rockies may find themselves with the top fallback option at third base.
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