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Sergio Garcia believes the players emboldened to speak up on mudballs at this week’s PGA Championship “don’t have the guts” to highlight the same issue at Augusta National.

Mud balls have dominated the discourse at Quail Hollow this week, after PGA of America organisers refused to implement preferred lies during a round one despite a deluge of rainfall.

The Charlotte venue was battered by rain during practice days and  that has led to mud balls in the fairways, a huge annoyance that leads to unpredictable approach shots into greens.

Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele were among the players plagued by the issue on Thursday.

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“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,” Scheffler said afterwards.

His playing partner Schauffele concurred.

“It is what it is, and a lot of guys are dealing with it, but it’s just unfortunate to be hitting good shots and to pay them off that way,” the defending champion added. “It’s kind of stupid.”

Garcia, however, clearly feels that this kind of criticism is not matched by his fellow pros at the Masters, where mud balls also prove a regular feature.

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“What’s curious is that here at the PGA, people do complain but at Augusta, they don’t have the guts to talk up about it, right?” he told El Periodi Golf, via Handicap 54.

In a Spanish interview translated from Hugo Costa Golf, Garcia added: “It’s funny how things change isn’t it. It depends on where you’re playing.

“If you end up with five mud balls, like I did today, let’s try to figure it out somehow.”

Garcia’s comments are perhaps inadvertently a compliment to Jordan Spieth, who took the surprise step this year to call out Augusta chiefs for the frequency of mud balls on the hallowed Georgia course.

“My iron play killed me the last two days and to be brutally honest with you, it was primarily mud balls,” Spieth said after the third round last month.

“It’s just so frustrating because you can’t talk about them here. You’re not supposed to talk about them.

“Mud balls can affect this tournament significantly, especially when you get them a lot on 11 and 13.

“Look, it’s mowed into the grain. The ball is digging in on every shot. A lot of times you have it on 75% of your drives.”


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Ben Parsons is the Senior Writer at bunkered and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.

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