PGA Tour Makes Controversial Preferred Lies Call For Biltmore Championship

The inaugural Biltmore Championship Asheville didn't get off to the best of starts as the PGA Tour announced preferred lies would be in operation for all found rounds.

The Tour said in a statement that rainy and humid weather conditions in North Carolina had led to "challenging agronomic conditions" at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove.

Presumably this has led to the chance of mudballs throughout the event, so the PGA Tour took the unusual step of playing preferred lies for the entire tournament.

Playing preferred lies is not unusual, but it's usually done on a day-by-day basis so to install it for a full tournament even before the first round is quite an unprecedented move.

"Due to heavy rainfall and high temperatures in Western North Carolina creating challenging agronomic conditions during the final phases of tournament preparation, preferred lies will be in effect all four rounds at the Biltmore Championship Asheville," read the PGA Tour statement.

The Biltmore Championship is being used by seven Presidents Cup players as a tune-up for Team USA in their upcoming battle with the International Team at Medinah.

It's also crucial for players in the FedExCup Fall as the last chance to try and secure a top 100 finish and Tour card for next year - along with chances to get into the Signature Events via the Aon Next 10.

There's extra incentive for winning these events as well this year, as tournament champions get two-year exemptions, which Brian Rolapp has revealed will be honored in the PGA Tour shake-up and get players into the new Championship Series in 2028.

So with the stakes even higher than usual, the PGA Tour has likely taken the decision to level the playing field and ensure there's no hard luck stories via bad lies on the fairways or mudballs costing players shots.

The decision naturally enough drew plenty of reaction on social media, ranging from questioning the local weather to why it's already been applied for all four days even before the first round.

Thursday's opening round of the Biltmore Championship was also delayed due to fog, so even before a ball had been struck in anger it was a difficult start for the new PGA Tour event.

Reaction to preferred lies announcement...