Scottie Scheffler confirms driver was deemed non-conforming: 'It's not that big a deal'

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Scottie Scheffler won the 107th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club on Sunday but he did so without his gamer driver this week.

During his winner’s press conference, Scheffler confirmed that his TaylorMade driver was tested by the U.S. Golf Association on Tuesday and was deemed non-conforming.

“So the driver testing is something that regularly happens on Tour. 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,” he said.

“With the amount of practice that I do, I felt like I was fortunate for it to last that long,” he said. “The team at TaylorMade, Adrian, did a really good job — actually the week of the Byron (Nelson), we were really focused on getting a back up for that tournament and this one. Adrian, he 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.”

But Scheffler echoed sentiments shared by other players, including Xander Schauffele, that driver testing needs to be tweaked for the better.

“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 said. “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. I think, 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.”

The subject of driver testing became one of the stories of the championship when it was reported that Rory McIlroy had failed the driver test and that was the reason he switched heads before the first round. If he did fail a test, it would possibly explain why he struggled with the club that is usually one of his super powers. McIlroy and his representatives and TaylorMade officials declined to comment, with McIlroy electing not to speak to the media once the championship began.

The USGA and PGA of America’s lack of transparency on the subject did McIlroy no favors either. But Scheffler had no problem confirming an earlier report by Golfweek and declared it was no big deal.