Three PGA Tour Stars Collapse Amid Chaos at the Troubling 16th Hole of the PGA Championship

The leaderboard at the 2025 PGA Championship is unpredictable so far, but Quail Hollow Club’s demanding course was summed up by one particularly challenging hole during Thursday’s opening round. The par-4, 535-yard 16th hole proved to be a tough test for even the top-ranked players in the world.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, No. 2 Rory McIlroy, and No. 3 Xander Schauffele all finished the 16th with a double bogey—a rare collective stumble for the sport's elites. Their struggles were on display as the featured group for day one, highlighting just how punishing the famed 16th can be.

McIlroy’s difficulties began with his tee shot, which veered left toward the water—a spot golfers try to avoid at all costs. His ball was held up by the rough, but he found himself with an awkward lie and could only advance the ball about 20 yards back into the fairway. His approach shot then missed the green to the right, making it hard to get close to the tricky back-left pin. With a 12-foot putt remaining for bogey, McIlroy missed and walked away instead with a double.

Scheffler and Schauffele both did better off the tee but found issues approaching the green. Challenging pin placement and water hazards saw each of their approach shots run long, finding the penalty area. After dropping, both players contended with tough lies and distances:

• Scheffler needed to hole a seven-footer to finish with a double after a 52-foot bogey putt.
• Schauffele two-putted from about 34 feet for his double-bogey finish.

Despite the hiccup, Scheffler fared the best of the trio, ending the day tied for 19th at 2-under par. Schauffele completed his round at 1-over, while McIlroy—coming off a Masters win in April—signed for a 74, 3-over par.

Scheffler later explained that his trouble on No. 16 stemmed from a "mud ball," saying, "It’s one of those deals where it’s frustrating to hit the ball in the middle of the fairway and get mud on it and have no idea where it’s going to go... You spend your whole life trying to learn how to control a golf ball, and due to a rules decision, all of a sudden you have absolutely no control over where that golf ball goes. But I don’t make the rules. I just have to deal with the consequences of those rules."

It wasn’t just Scheffler, McIlroy, and Schauffele struggling with Quail Hollow’s setup. Other top names found the going tough:

• Bryson DeChambeau: 1-over
• Max Homa: 2-over
• Jordan Spieth: 3-over
• Brooks Koepka: 4-over
• Phil Mickelson: 8-over (79), putting him in danger of missing the cut

While many big names faltered, American Ryan Gerard set the early pace, shooting a 5-under 66 to hold the lead for much of the day. Australian Cam Davis matched Gerard’s score, though a bogey on the final hole prevented him from taking sole possession of first at 6-under.

As play continues at Quail Hollow, the championship remains wide open—and with Thursday’s action as evidence, the course will demand every bit of skill from the world’s best golfers before the weekend arrives.