PGA winner Scottie Scheffler says his driver didn't pass inspection either

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — For all the attention Rory McIlroy received for his driver failing to pass inspection at the PGA Championship, Scottie Scheffler added a surprising wrinkle after he won.

His driver failed the test, too.

It added to context badly missing in the original report. The PGA of America said it routinely and randomly asks the USGA to test driver heads to make sure the constant shots have not made the faces too thin to exceed limits of a trampoline effect.

The PGA of America said one-third of the 156-man field had their drivers test. That included the eventual winner, Scheffler, who wasn't surprised by the result of the test.

“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,” Scheffler said.

McIlroy never spoke to the media the entire week when the PGA Championship began.

Random testing occurs routinely on the PGA Tour and the majors. Xander Schauffele said he asked for a test earlier this year when he put an old driver back in play.

Schauffele believes it shouldn't be random. “Test everybody,” he said.

The PGA of America said the testing is to protect players who might not be aware when the driver faces start to get thin. This isn't a question of intent.

Scheffler sided with Schauffele's line of thinking.

“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.”

Scheffler said going to a new driver was “no big deal” because he's had to do it before and he had been working with the manufacturer at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson two weeks ago because they knew it was about to surpass limits.

Scheffler lost a five-shot lead on the front nine by missing so many shots to the left. Was that a product of the new driver?

“No, I think that was my fault,” he said with a laugh.

J.T. Poston is referred to as the “Postman” on the PGA Tour by players and caddies, and he delivered his best showing in a major at the PGA Championship.

Poston was a favorite at Quail Hollow from growing up in Hickory, North Carolina, and played at Western Carolina.

Starting four shots behind, Poston dropped three shots in five holes. And then he bounced back with three birdies in a four-hole stretch and was still in the picture — before Scheffler pulled away at the end.

Poston bogeyed the last two holes, knocking him out of a potential runner-up finish. He closed with a 73 and tied for fifth.

“The big thing is it was a learning curve for me this week,” he said. “It’s the first time I’ve really been in this position in majors and I feel like I held my ground pretty well overall."

He'll get two more tries at the U.S. Open and British Open. Poston's final bogey cost him a guaranteed spot in the Masters next year for being in the top four. That was the least of his concerns after a good battle in the PGA.

“More than anything, I just proved to myself that I can win one of these, which is exciting,” he said.

Davis Riley's runner-up finish did more than get him into the Masters next year. He gets to avoid U.S. Open qualifying.

The top 60 in the world are exempt from U.S. Open qualifying, and four players made big moves on Sunday in the PGA Championship.

Jhonattan Vegas was at No. 70 and his tie for fifth moved him up to No. 49. Vegas also gets into the British Open, which takes the top 50 from this week's ranking.

Si Woo Kim went from No. 66 to No. 59 with his tie for eighth.

And then there's Joe Highsmith. He won the Cognizant Classic in Florida to get into the Masters and PGA Championship. And then he played bogey-free over the last 12 holes, closing with a 71 to tie for eighth. That moved him from No. 69 to No. 60.

Joaquin Niemann has been playing his best golf for the LIV Golf League, with three victories this year in the Saudi-funded league.

He went out early and shot 68 that moved him all the way into a tie for eighth as players late in the day began to fade under the tougher, windier conditions.

It was Niemann's first top 10 in a major.

He received a sponsor exemption to the PGA Championship this year. He won't need one next year. The top 15 get spots in the field.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Joaquin Niemann chips to the green on the 12th hole during the first round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Joe Highsmith hits from the fairway on the second hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

J.T. Poston chips to the green on the 18th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Scottie Scheffler holds the Wanamaker trophy after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Scottie Scheffler hits his tee shot on the eighth hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to foreign diplomats in Tehran, insisted “the situation has come under total control” in fiery remarks that blamed Israel and the U.S. for the violence, without offering evidence.

“That’s why the demonstrations turned violent and bloody to give an excuse to the American president to intervene,” Araghchi said, in comments carried by the Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network. Al Jazeera has been allowed to report from inside the country live despite the internet being shut off.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)