Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler have voiced their strong opinions on the difficult conditions at the PGA Championship held at Aronimink Golf Club. The tournament organisers have since published the pin sheet for the third round, following widespread criticism from the players.
Scheffler's Frustration
Scottie Scheffler, the world number one, described the setup as the most challenging he has ever faced in his professional career. After posting a one-over-par round on Friday, he approached Justin Rose's caddie, Mark 'Fooch' Fulcher, to express his concerns. He said, "This is the hardest set of pin locations that I've seen since I've been on Tour. And that includes U.S. Opens, that includes Oakmont."
Scheffler added, "I asked Fooch and Teddy [Scott, his caddie] if they had seen anything like this before. They said maybe Shinnecock is the only place where they have seen pins that could compare. It's not as natural to the slopes; there's a bit more that's manufactured into the greens. It's just very difficult. There are some things out of your control. You just have to hit good shots, but most of the pins today were, I mean, kind of absurd."
McIlroy's Agreement
Rory McIlroy, who recovered from a poor opening round, echoed Scheffler's sentiments. He agreed that the pin positions were excessively tough, contributing to slow pace of play and making the greens nearly unplayable. McIlroy now sits in ninth place, while Scheffler is five shots behind the leaders, Maverick McNealy and Alex Smalley.
PGA of America Responds
The PGA of America released the pin sheet for Saturday's third round early in the morning, showing that the pins are again positioned tightly. This leaves both McIlroy and Scheffler with significant ground to make up if they hope to challenge for the title.
Scheffler's Optimism
Despite the difficulties, the Masters champion remains optimistic. "It's been hard to make birdies out there because of the wind and the hole locations. I feel like they have really tried to protect the course the first couple of days, so they have used up a lot of the hard ones. Depending on calmer conditions and more favourable hole locations, everyone has a chance. At five back, I feel like I'm right in the tournament. I just wanted to get myself back in it, and I've done that."
The tournament continues with the leaders setting a strong pace, but the challenging conditions promise an exciting weekend of golf.
