CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A disastrous stretch on the par-4 16th hole marred the opening round of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club for the world’s top three golfers. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Xander Schauffele, playing together, each carded a double-bogey 6 on the challenging hole.

The Triple-Double Debacle

• Scottie Scheffler: The world No. 1, despite the double-bogey, recovered to finish at 2-under, tied for 14th.
• Rory mcilroy: The reigning Masters champion struggled, ending the day at 3-over, tied for 85th.
• Xander Schauffele: The defending PGA Championship winner posted a 1-over, tying for 60th.

The 535-yard 16th, the longest par-4 on the course, proved to be a meaningful hurdle.Scheffler quipped, I kept the honor after making a double. Probably the first and last time that’ll happen in my career, unless we get some crazy weather conditions.

McIlroy’s Misadventure

Rory McIlroy’s experience on the 16th was particularly eventful. After hooking his drive into the trees, he faced a difficult second shot. McIlroy was left with an awkward second shot from a sidehill. His back foot slipped as he swung his club, and his ball went only 65 feet onto another hill. He ultimately two-putted for a double-bogey 6.

Adding to his woes, McIlroy, a four-time Wells Fargo Championship winner at Quail Hollow, struggled with accuracy, hitting only four of 14 fairways and losing 2.34 strokes to the field in putting.

Scheffler’s Muddy Troubles

Scheffler’s troubles began after an eagle on the 15th. He then hooked his second shot into the pond behind the 16th green. He attributed the errant shot to mud on his ball, a result of recent heavy rain.

The PGA of America’s decision not to implement preferred lies added to the frustration. I understand it’s part of the game, but there’s nothing more frustrating for a player, Scheffler said. 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.

I did a good job of battling back today and not letting a bad break like that, which cost me a couple shots, get to me.Did a good job battling after that and posting a decent score.

Scottie Scheffler

Prior to Thursday, Scheffler had never recorded a double bogey (or worse) in the first round of a major championship, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

Schauffele’s Frustration

Xander Schauffele echoed Scheffler’s sentiments about the conditions. We where in the middle of the fairway, and I don’t know, we had to aim right of the grandstands probably, Schauffele said. I’m not sure. I aimed right of the bunker, and it whipped in the water, and Scottie whipped it in the water, as well. 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. It’s kind of stupid.

Schauffele expressed concern that the conditions would worsen as the tournament progressed.The mud balls are going to get worse, Schauffele said. They’re going to get worse as the place dries up. 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.

Vegas Leads the Pack

While the top three struggled, Jhonattan Vegas seized the first-round led with a 7-under 64, fueled by birdies on five of his final six holes. Ryan Gerard and Cam Davis followed at 5-under 66. European Ryder Cup team captain Luke Donald, 47, was among those tied for fourth at 4-under.