ROCHESTER, NY — Scottie Scheffler plays a shot on the 17th hole during the second round of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club on May 19, 2023. | Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler, despite entering the weekend of the PGA Championship tied for the lead, made a shocking admission Friday.
On Friday, the beastly par four 6th hole at Oak Hill played 0.75 shots above par, ranking as one of the most challenging holes at a PGA Championship over the past 20 years.
Scottie Scheffler confirmed its difficulty, calling the 6th hole “the hardest hole he has ever played.”
“I don’t know what everybody else is saying or [what] the scoring average [is],” Scheffler noted. “But it is pretty stinking hard.”
Tied for the lead at 5-under par with Corey Conners and Viktor Hovland heading into Saturday, Scheffler shot 67 on Thursday and 68 on Friday.
Despite his comments, he made par on both days on the 6th hole, which has Allen’s Creek collect any tee shot that misses right of the fairway. The creek continues the length of the hole, splitting the fairway 100 yards short of the green as it loops around the left side of a tricky green complex.
A deep bunker short and right of the green makes the target look even more intimidating.
Indeed, the PGA of America tucked the pin on Friday on the back right corner of the green—up on a small shelf where if a shot fell short and left of the pin, it would run away from the hole.
Number six yielded only three birdies Friday. Sixty-three players made par at six on Friday.
This hole produced 63 bogies and 27 double bogies or higher, meaning less than half the field saved par.
Calling this hole hard for the world’s best players is an understatement.
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
ROCHESTER, NY — A general view of the sixth hole is seen during a practice round prior to the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club.
When a hole plays this difficult, players complain about the course set-up, pin placements, or rough length.
Yet, Oak Hill has drawn rave reviews overall.
Didn’t play as well as I expected but tomorrow is another opportunity. Oak Hill is as great a major course and set up as I’ve seen. Well done PGA. It’s never easy to find the line between identifying the best or embarrassing them. Oak Hill and the PGA nailed it!
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) May 20, 2023
Two rounds remain at the PGA Championship, with Oak Hill’s difficulty taking center stage. Rest assured that this Western New York track will continue to provide entertainment for fans around the world and test the world’s best down the stretch.
